Lockdown
by Tertiary Genesis
Summary: Troy and Ryan are caught in the middle of a Lockdown... what will happen when they are trapped in a small room together, emotions running high... TRYAN ... SLASH...
1. Lockdown

_I have gone back to edit through this entire story and give it a new look._

_This is my first ever fanfic. I started ages ago. I did not edit it to much to preserve the visibility of my natural progression in writing. I have, though, made it more readable. There are no changes in terms of story, or detail._

_First off, this is a **gay** interest piece, and if you do not like that kind of thing, you should not be there._

_**Full disclaimer can be found at the foot of the chapter.**_

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**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 1: **Lockdown**

**--XxXxX--**

East High had been updating its security measures since the New Mexico State Government told it to. Terrorist attacks, shootings at schools, gunmen, massacres, its enough to put a country into some sort of panic. All government schools had been asked to increase their safety measures and update their emergency plans.

In addition to the fire plan, where students were asked to go to the safe zone, there was now a Lockdown procedure. A different warning bell indicated whether it was a Lockdown, and instead of students leaving to go to a safe zone, they were to remain in the room they are in and lock the doors and windows. The people remain put until the all clear bell is sounded. That was the new procedure.

Now, East High decided to take this a few steps further. Electronically locking doors that require pass codes were already in place to protect the computer rooms and administration offices which housed the more valuable hardware. The students' lives were finally considered as valuable, if not more valuable, so every other door had this technology installed. This major operation required many people. That was how Troy found himself inside his school on a Saturday.

Coach Bolton, Troy's dad, had been roped into helping complete the task of getting the new security system up and running. He got the Wildcats to come in on the Saturday, telling them that they need to do some volunteer work and help the community as good citizens or else they would not be allowed to remain on the team, because the team could only have "good citizens". He was really just trying to lighten his workload.

Therefore, the team was going around the school to every door to set the codes and make sure they worked. Each Wildcat had a clipboard with a list of the doors they need to go to and the pass-code the school wants for that door. Each door has a factory setting standard code of '0000' which needed to be changed. Troy was set to do the Arts block, which included the Music corridor, the Visual Arts corridor, and the Performing Arts corridor.

Troy had already completed the Music and Visual Arts corridors and was just on the Performing Arts corridor when the PA speakers in that corridor made a crackling sound. The speakers needed to be replaced in that part of the school but the present focus was security. Troy had dismissed the sound, assuming it was not that important.

The brunet was just up to calibrating the door for room D17, one of the Drama rooms. It had black walls, black carpet and some black foam boxes scattered around the room. The windows had blackout curtains to totally block out the sun which could make the room completely pitch black. This was so that when actors were acting, there is less distraction for the audience.

The room also had some spotlights on one side, pointing to the back wall; it was a mock stage. Inside the room, Troy found Ryan Evans, the male half of the Evans twins, the prima Performing Arts duo of East High, practicing the opening soliloquy from Shakespeare's Richard III.

_"Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of York,"_ Ryan recited before an imagined audience. This must have been part of an English project. He stopped immediately when he saw Troy at the door.

"I didn't think anyone comes into the school on weekends," Troy mused out loud.

"Well, I needed to practice for my English assignment. The janitor let me in. I know him personally, and Sharpay is on the warpath back at home," Ryan explained.

Troy gave a look that resounded confusion.

"Something about her facial cream not being delivered to our house," clarified Ryan, with a chuckle, "How about you?"

"That's cool, man. I'm here to help with the new security system," Troy replied.

Since Troy and the other Wildcats worked and the Evans' resort over the summer, Ryan and Troy had become friends. Ryan had made a voice for himself and was now very much included in Troy's cohort, but was still somewhat on the outside because of his twin sister, Sharpay.

Ryan returned to his recitation and Troy turned to do what he had come there to do. He had just deleted the factory standard code on the door lock when the cackling sound coming from the PA system returned.

"Do you know what they are trying to say?" Ryan asked Troy expectantly.

"Beats me," Troy replied with a shrug.

Suddenly, as Troy was halfway through entering the new pass-code, the door slammed shut and the sound of the bolt sliding to lock the door could be heard quite clearly. Sounds of the other doors in the corridor slamming shut in succession could also be heard.

The administration office, it would seem, was testing the Lockdown Protocol, which automatically closed and locked all the doors in the school. It would seem that the boys had now discovered what those cryptic messages contained.

The doors were locked in a way that they could not be opened even with the pass-code from the outside until the Lockdown was concluded from the administration office, but they could be unlocked from the inside with the pass-code correct.

Troy tried the pass-code to unlock the door but because he was only half-way through inputting it, it did not work. He tried the standard code but that did not work either. He did not know what to do. The code to open the door might not even exist anymore. He was trapped.

_They_ were trapped. Troy and Ryan were in the room together with no means of escape.

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC…**

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_**DISCLAIMER:**_

_**This story is based on characters created by PETER BARSOCCHINI and may make reference to events and ideas in the two DISNEY movies, High School Musical and High School Musical 2, both written by PETER BARSOCCHINI. I make no money from writing this story and do it with no commercial intent. **_

_**This story**____**includes**__** the lyr**__**ics of Sum41's song "With Me" from**__** their **__**album "**__**Underclass Hero**__**. This song was written by DERYCK WHIBLEY and**__** remains his property.**__** I use it with no commercial intent.**_

___**This story**____**also includes**__** the lyr**__**ics of Story of the Year's song "Dive Right In" from**__** their **__**album "Page Avenue"**____**These lyrics remain the property of STORY OF THE YEAR**__** and I use **__**them**__** with no commercial intent.**_

_______**This story**____**also includes**__** the lyr**__**ics of The Spill Canvas' song "All Over **__**You**__**" from**__** their **__**album "No Really, I'm Fine"**__**. This song was written by **__**NICK THOMAS and **__**remains his property. **__**I use it with no commercial intent.**_

_________**This story also includes lyrics of the song, "**__**Worth a Try" by tryanforever91. The song was written by TRYANFOREVER91 for his fic, "Sing with **__**Me**__**". It remains his property and I use it with no commercial intent.**_

_________**This story also makes other pop culture references (such as the mention of Gossip Girl, Supernatural, etc.). I own none of these and breach no copy write in mentioning them.**_


	2. Hungry

_I was excited about this second chapter. I had only just posted the first chapter and was already getting reviews. This second chapter actually came out the same day as the first._

_I believe I had developed a great deal between the first two chapters. I had included a narrative voice in this chapter, with lots of thoughts and rhetorical questions.__ I seem to have drifted away from this style of writing as I continued, becoming more sophisticated with my work, but seeing this is quite interesting._

_I have only made minor adjustments with this chapter._

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**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 2: **Hungry**

_As__ Troy was halfway through entering the new pass-code, the door slammed shut and the sound of the bolt sliding to lock the door could be heard quite clearly. _

_The administration office __was testing the Lockdown Protocol, which automatically closed and locked all the doors in the school. _

_Troy tried the pass-code to unlock the door but because he was only half-way through inputting it, it did not work._

_They were trapped. Troy and Ryan were in the room together with no means of escape._

**--XxXxX--**

Ryan stared at the recently locked door with a confused look. He had that innocent quirk in his eyebrow which he gets when he does not understand something. "What just happened?" he asked the other, somewhat panicked, boy in the room.

"I believe they are testing the Lockdown system," Troy said in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.

"Oh," Ryan replied, still sounding baffled. "Well can you unlock it? I remember them saying it could be unlocked from the inside."

"I've tried that already, I think I screwed up the system on the lock while I was calibrating it."

"So we're stuck here?" Ryan asked, with his eyebrows raised.

"I guess so," Troy said with a sigh. "Only until they realize I'm missing and come looking for me of course" he added seeing the look on Ryan's face which mirrored his own feelings of exasperation.

"How long do you think that will be, because I was just finishing and about to head home?"

"I don't know. It may take a while for them to realize I am missing since I am not due to finish 'til later."

Ryan looked crestfallen upon hearing this news, but perked up when he was hit by an idea. "Maybe the door will just unlock when the lockdown is finished" he suggested.

Troy could hear the hope in Ryan's voice but did not want to falsely lead his friend on, knowing from past experience what can come of that. "Maybe, but I doubt it. If the code is missing, the system probably won't be able to unlock the door so our best bet is waiting for someone to break us out."

Ryan sighed and sat down on one of the foam blocks which littered the floor of their accidental makeshift prison cell. The dark walls had an uncanny way of making the room seem even smaller, which made the male Evans nervous… and hungry. He pulled his bag closer to his body and, as he put away his copy of Richard III, fished around for that snack bar he had in there.

Troy saw Ryan pulling out the food, and his own hunger had suddenly just dawned on him. His last meal was breakfast and it was already lunchtime. He had been planning on going down to the cafeteria where his dad had ordered pizza for the Wildcats, just after this one door. Obviously, that was no longer an option. As if to remind him that it was lunchtime, his stomach growled.

"Could I have some of that?" Troy asked Ryan, knowing that this answer would probably be a no.

Ryan thought for a moment. He was hungry and was not really in the mood for sharing, especially with the one who had locked him into his situation; but Troy was a friend. He had heard Troy's stomach growl so he reluctantly tore off the bottom half of his snack bar and handed it Troy, but was careful not to let his reluctance show.

Troy had accepted the bar and dragged a foam box beside Ryan and sat down opposite his nourishment provider. He was grateful for the food but was still surprised that Ryan had given it to him.

They sat and ate their respective small helpings of food for a minute. There was then a sound of doors unlocking and opening in the corridor outside. Their door, however, did not open confirming what Troy had predicted.

Troy looked at Ryan, noticing that he was still staring at the door expectantly, probably hoping that it would still open. When he saw that is was not going to open, he sighed and looked down at his empty hands, his food already in his stomach.

"So…" Troy said in an attempt to break the silence.

"So…" Ryan replied, knowing that Troy was trying to start a conversation to pass time, or at least just break the silence. He did not really know what he felt like talking about. He and Troy may have become friends since he helped direct a performance for Troy's friends during summer break, but he and Troy still did not have much in common, if anything. What did he, the drama geek, co-president of the Drama Club, have to say to the jock, Captain of the Wildcats, even if they were friends now?

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Troy asked, surprising both Ryan and himself with the question. Wow, he must have really needed to talk about something, to ask a question like that right out of the blue. It seemed so upfront and confrontational that Troy was considering taking back his question when Ryan chose to answer.

Ryan had paused for a moment, taken aback by the question, then gave a short but soft "no". He wondered why Troy would even think he had a girlfriend. What girl would want to go out with the snotty, rich kid who was both a drama geek and the lap dog of East High's "Ice Queen"? Did he seem like he had a girlfriend? Or was Troy checking if he was available? Huh? That was a stupid thought.

"I'm sorry I asked it," Troy said, seeing the troubled look on Ryan's face. "I don't even know why I asked it. It just came out. I guess it just shows how little I know about you."

Troy really did not know much about Ryan. He knew that Ryan was in the Drama Club, and that he was a twin, and that he was Sharpay's brother, and… he did not really know much past that. Troy had been interacting with Ryan since landing the male lead in the last East High Winter Musicale and had been interacting with him even more since Summer break, but he knew so little about the guy.

The reverse probably could not be said, since Troy's life was pretty much on the spotlight, being one of the more popular kids in school. Ryan probably knew more about Troy than Troy did.

"Nah, it's ok. I didn't really mind you asking" Ryan assured Troy. "I was just kinda confused as to why you asked, but it's ok. How are things going with you and Gabriella?" Ryan chose to continue the accidental topic of relationships to prove that he did not mind this topic of conversation, although since only one of them were actually in a relationship, it was not going to be much of a discussion.

"Everything is cool," Troy said, noticing that Ryan was keeping with the topic. Troy could see where this was heading: a one-sided conversation; so he tried to think of a way of turning the conversation in a way that allowed Ryan to also have some input, but to not seem rude and completely change the subject.

It was he, after all, who started this personal conversation about relationships. He could not just change the subject when the focus had turned to him. He talked a little about what he and Gabriella had done as a couple recently to stall as he thought of a different direction for the conversation to go. He then asked Ryan a question which seemed somewhat as abrupt as his first, "Is there anyone you are interested in?"

"Hmm…" Ryan thought for a moment. He had not really considered whether he was interested in someone before. He found the concept of school relationships to be pointless and immature; just teens acting out adult situations and pretending to have feelings they know nothing about. He had enough 'drama' onstage to not need it off stage; for that is what these high school relationships are about, right? To 'go out' with somebody so that one can dump the other and cause wars between groups, creating schoolyard politics. One of the few dramas Ryan did not want to partake in.

"Not really…" he eventually replied.

"Oh," Troy said, not exactly getting the response he had expected, or wanted. What was he expecting Ryan to say? He was expecting a name at least, right? How about his name? _Whoa! __What was that__? How r__andom._ Nevertheless, he was expecting at least a name, right? Was his relationship with Ryan not deep enough for them to discuss personal issues at this level?

Troy knew he would be venturing into some uncharted water, going further with this kind of personal discussion, so he decided to test the water with a question almost guaranteed to get a personal response. "Well, what would your type be?"

"Umm…" Ryan had not really thought about what his type was either. He wondered why Troy was suddenly curious about this kind of stuff. Was Troy planning on setting him up with somebody? Was Troy just trying to see if he would be compatible with this person? Was Troy seeing if they would be compatible with each other? There's that thought again. _Wow._ Being locked in a dark room sure did play tricks on the mind. "Err…"

Troy could see some confusion in his friend's face. "Let me rephrase that. What is it that you like about a girl?" He thought that Ryan was having trouble understanding the question or maybe was just having trouble with the wording of the question.

What is a "type" anyway? Did _he_ have a type? Troy considered this while Ryan was thinking again. The re-worded question did not seem to help Ryan make an answer.

Ryan did not see the point of rephrasing the question. It did not help him realize what he liked about a girl. Did he like the curves? No, he did not really care much for that. What about the breasts? _No, not really._ Come to think of it, he really did not see any appeal in the female form. Does that make him gay? _Whoa!_ Maybe he just doesn't think about sex with girls like other guys his age. That just makes him weird, or mature, but not gay… right?

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC…**

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_At this point in my writing, I had no clue of any sort of plot, or what direction I was going to take this. I guess that is why I had them questioning their sexuality already. __**Charlz**__ had suggested that I don't rush things, which I believe I did._

_Another thought on this chapter was that I realized having two straight boys spontaneously falling for each other was being too fantastic. I guess that is where the gay thoughts came in._


	3. Go Fish!

_Kudos goes out to __**Charlz**__ and __**Cryaesion**__ for helping me with this chapter._

_This is the chapter with the kiss scene. It is surprisingly early for a story that is "supposed" to be slow paced, but... they don't just fall in love..._

* * *

**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 3: **Go Fish!**

_Troy could see some confusion in his friend's face. "Let me rephrase that. What is it that you like about a girl?" He thought that Ryan was having trouble understanding the question or maybe was just having trouble with the wording of the question._

_What is a "type" anyway? Did __he__ have a type? Troy considered this while Ryan was thinking again. The re-worded question did not seem to help Ryan make an answer._

_Ryan did not see the point of rephrasing the question. It did not help him realize what he liked about a girl. Did he like the curves? No, he did not really care much for that. What about the breasts? __No, not really.__ Come to think of it, he really did not see any appeal in the female form. Does that make him gay? __Whoa!__ Maybe he just doesn't think about sex with girls like other guys his age. That just makes him weird, or mature, but not gay… right?_

**--XxXxX--**

The black room the two boys were forced to share was beginning to get quite stuffy. Black walls had a way of trapping heat and making a space seem much smaller. The awkward conversation the boys were also sharing did not exactly help the matter.

Many people have trouble coping in closed spaces, even if they are not claustrophobic, especially when there is no option of escape. Trapped situations, it has been said, can cause the mind and body to bring out all the reserves and function at full capacity in order to survive. The boys found themselves in a similar situation, though their bodies seemed yet to come to the same conclusion as their own special reserves are yet to kick in.

Ryan needed his brain to kick into overdrive because he suddenly had a lot on his mind. Was he gay?! Well, he did kind of dress somewhat queer; but that is what happens when you have Sharpay as your twin sister. What about the 'not liking girls' thing? Maybe he just doesn't care about that kind of stuff at the moment. Maybe he was just more mature than the average guy; but did he like _guys_? Well… nah… oh… wait… hmm… he was so confused, and Troy staring at him expectantly was not exactly helping alleviate his confusion; staring at him with those pretty blue eyes. Wow. He had never noticed Troy's eyes were blue before. Wait. He had asked a question… what was it again? Umm… oh yeah… Troy was asking about his type. "Uhh… I dunno. Someone like me… I guess."

"Huh?" Troy had forgotten he had asked a question. He was hungry again. His body was yet to initiate those reserves which overcame hunger and stuff at dire situations. Being locked in a small, dark room with Ryan Evans could be considered a dire situation… or maybe not. Ryan Evans was a pretty alright guy, he thought. The blond seemed to be more confused and contemplative than his usual perky self though, but then again, you can't exactly expect someone to remain their happy-go-lucky self when locked in a small dark room.

Troy noticed how Ryan would tilt his head to the side and furrow his eyebrows when he was thinking really hard on something. He thought it looked kinda cute… in a totally non-homosexual way of course; cute like puppies and babies and stuff. Ryan quirked his eyebrow at Troy, who was suddenly aware that he was staring, quickly glanced away, trying to convince himself that the blackout curtains behind him were incredibly interesting. Damn Ryan and his facial expressions.

Ryan saw Troy turn away and sighed. For a brief moment, he thought Troy was staring at him. It must have just been wishful thinking, or maybe Troy sending signals. What are signals? What do they even look like? Was _he_ sending signals? Oh dear, _was_ he sending signals?! Is that why he turned around?

Even amidst this panicking, Ryan found himself surveying Troy's turned body; from his soft brown hair, down, following his twisted spine down his turned back. He could feel the heat radiating from the Wildcats Captain and suddenly noticed how hot the room was getting; at least that was his excuse for his onset of perspiration.

Troy could feel Ryan's gaze hitting his back, or at least the intense heat Ryan seemed to be giving off, considering he was the only other heat source in the room other than Troy himself. The room seemed to trap heat extremely well since Troy found that he was sweating within seconds. He got up and walked to the curtains he had distracted himself with, and wretched them open to find the windows behind them to also be blacked out.

Ryan had watched Troy get up and walk over to the windows and chuckled to himself when he saw the brunet discover that the windows had also been blacked out. After installing the blackout curtains, the school realized that they did not block the sun sufficiently so the windows were also blocked out. The only way to get some natural light into the room was to open the window.

Troy seemed to want more light… or air… because he then repositioned himself to try and open the window. Ryan couldn't help but let out another chuckle as Troy attempted to open the window. The windows had been closed for so long that they have rusted into place and are essentially stuck closed. "They don't open," he decided to inform Troy.

"Oh… ok" Troy sighed, admitting defeat as he ambled back to his original position opposite Ryan. "What do you wanna do now?" he asked.

"I got a deck of cards. Wanna play?" Ryan offered, dipping his hand into his bag and rummaging around before producing a set of playing cards.

"Yeah, ok," Troy accepted and moved another foam block between them to act as a table while Ryan shuffled the cards in his hands. "What are we going to play?" asked Troy, as Ryan began dealing the cards.

"Go Fish?" Ryan suggested.

"Ok," agreed Troy, as he picked up the cards in front of him. "Have you got a 3?"

"Go fish. Got a 2?" Ryan asked.

Troy checked his cards and could not find one. "Go fish. Have you got a 10?"

Ryan relinquished his 10 to allow Troy to make a pair. "Have you got a 5?"

"Nope, go fish. Got an Ace?"

Ryan did not have an Ace but he had picked up a three and remembered Troy asking for one before. "Go fish. Got a 3?"

Troy passed his 3 to Ryan before asking about a 7.

The game continued for a few more minutes before the heat and stuffiness of the room really got to the boys. Ryan was already unbuttoning the top 3 buttons of his shirt to cool down a little.

"Would you mind if I take my shirt off? It is getting really hot. You can take yours off too if you want," Troy asked, noticing that Ryan was also feeling the heat.

"I guess that's fine," stated Ryan before he started to fully unbutton his shirt now. He saw Troy put down his cards so he could remove his shirt, and quickly saw a 5, noting that as the next card he would request.

Both boys were now shirtless, and feeling significantly cooler, so they continued with the game.

"Have you got a 5?" Ryan asked expectantly.

"Nah, go fish," Troy said, somewhat playfully.

"What? I know you have a 5. I saw it!" exclaimed Ryan, missing the sarcasm and feeling deprived of his expected triumph.

"So you're cheating now?" Troy joked, keeping his playful tone of voice.

"You're the one who's cheating…" Ryan managed before playfully lunging himself over the makeshift table at Troy, spraying the cards across the drama room floor.

The boys engaged in a little light roughhousing, which helped ease a lot of tension that seemed to have been building since they found themselves in the situation of being locked in the room together. Bare flesh touching bare flesh, the boys continued wrestling until they eventually found each other in a position where one was on top of the other, pinning them down to the floor, as was the main goal of these sorts of games.

Troy found himself in this dominating position, with Ryan lying on his back on the floor. He was in a kneeling position, straddling Ryan's stomach, with his knees at Ryan's sides and his hands pressing down on Ryan's shoulders, keeping him on the floor. Both boys were exhausted and panting heavily. Troy allowed his head to swing down, his hair falling to tickle Ryan's face. Ryan laughed at the strange feeling of Troy's hair brushing on his face. Troy lifted his head to get his hair out of his friend's face and looked down to see his semi-naked captive below him.

Troy's head began to lower again, not hinging on his neck but his whole body was coming down too. Time itself seemed to slow down as the distance between the two bodies decreased. Troy's face was so close to Ryan's now, noses barely touching. He halted his descent, taking in Ryan's features at an extremely close distance, those brown eyes, the light brown hair, the full, deep red lips.

Ryan tilted his head up, closing the gap between them and brushed his lips lightly against Troy's. At that second, the Earth stood still, caused by the collision of two worlds, the world of the Wildcat superstar, and that of the drama king. In less than a second, the kiss was over, but it seemed like much longer to the boys.

Troy pulled back and got up very fast as soon as he had felt Ryan's lips on his. He pushed down on Ryan's shoulders so hard in order to get up that he might have left a bruise. Stumbling over a few of the foam boxes lying around, he found his shirt and quickly put it on before almost running to the door. It was still locked. Troy turned to lean his back against the door. He slid his back down the door until he was sitting on the floor, with his back against the door and arms wrapped around his shins. _What just happened?!_

Ryan's shoulders were in some pain from the force Troy used to push himself up. With a little difficulty, Ryan propped himself onto his elbows so he could see where Troy had gone. _What had he done?!_

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC...**

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_Thus the kiss, I hope you guys are still reading. It gets better... I think._


	4. Confused

_This is the scene where the tables are turned and this Tryan seems to be set apart from others. This is how I got my rise to HSM Slash fame. _

_It was originally so full of text, with huge blocks of writing which I have broken up and edited._

_Again, thanks to the awesome __**Cryaesion**_

* * *

**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 4: **Confused**

_Troy's head began to lower again, not hinging on his neck but his whole body was coming down too. Time itself seemed to slow down as the distance between the two bodies decreased. Troy's face was so close to Ryan's now, noses barely touching. He halted his descent, taking in Ryan's features at an extremely close distance, those brown eyes, the light brown hair, the full, deep red lips._

_Ryan tilted his head up, closing the gap between them and brushed his lips lightly against Troy's. At that second, the Earth stood still, caused by the collision of two worlds, the world of the Wildcat superstar, and that of the drama king. In less than a second, the kiss was over, but it seemed like much longer to the boys._

_Troy pulled back and got up very fast as soon as he had felt Ryan's lips on his. He pushed down on Ryan's shoulders so hard in order to get up that he might have left a bruise. Stumbling over a few of the foam boxes lying around, he found his shirt and quickly put it on before almost running to the door. It was still locked. Troy turned to lean his back against the door. He slid his back down the door until he was sitting on the floor, with his back against the door and arms wrapped around his shins. _

_Ryan's shoulders were in some pain from the force Troy used to push himself up. With a little difficulty, Ryan propped himself onto his elbows so he could see where Troy had gone._

**--XxXxX--**

As Ryan sat on the drama room floor, he propped up the weight of his upper body, which was shirt-less and sweating, on his elbows, and considered the situation he was in. It was just about an hour ago that the door slammed and locked him in the room, but it seemed so much longer. Since then, all that has really happened was both of them getting hungry, sharing a snack bar, talking about relationships and interests, playing cards and then… yeah. To a bystander, it would seem that so little time has passed, and barely anything has happened, but to the boys, it felt like they had been trapped in that room forever, and their whole world was crashing down around them. It would seem to be the logical result of two worlds colliding.

Ryan forced himself up off the floor and rubbed one of his shoulders with the opposite hand. Troy's push had left a bruise and he winced in pain as he touched the flesh which was already red. He looked over at Troy to see if the other boy had noticed or even cared that he had left a mark on the twin. Ryan resigned to the fact that Troy had gone into his own, secluded world after what had just happened.

Ryan had kissed him. This had also surprised Ryan because it was only a few moments before that he was even considering his own sexuality. Did this mean he was gay? Ryan was so confused, and he hated being confused. Confusion means a lack of understanding, and a lack of understanding can only lead to disaster. He had been trained to not get confused on stage or else the whole production would falter, if he did not understand his character, or his line, or even his position on stage, it could easily ruin the performance, and that was not allowed. Confusion is something Ryan can not, and will not, live with. Was he gay? Hell NO!

Troy was sitting with his back against the still locked door. How did he get himself in this situation? If only he had done the door faster and not stopped to talk to Ryan, maybe he could have finished the door in time, or at least not be on the inside when it locked. Now he was stuck in the room with the guy and although things started out pretty fine, it seemed to have turned sour very fast. How did their innocent game of Go-Fish turn into… what it had turned into? Damn hormones! Yep, that is who to blame. The hormones, right? It was how they ended up roughhousing in the first place and then ended up in the compromising position.

Then it happened, the kiss. Troy had kissed Ryan; or had it been the other way round? Troy was so caught up in the moment that he did not even check who was kissing who. All he could remember was that he had shared a kiss with Ryan. He had shared a kiss with _Ryan_. He had _kissed_ Ryan. The realization of what he had done was just hitting Troy like a freight train; it seemed to knock the wind right out of him and he suddenly was finding it hard to breathe. He had kissed Ryan.

Ryan had just found his shirt and was putting it back on. It was still hot, but he did not find it appropriate to remain shirtless, especially since his "cell mate" had put _his_ shirt back on. It was fitting to consider the place they were currently residing in to be a prison cell. The room did have a gloomy feel to it, having black walls and essentially devoid of anything to distract you or catch your attention, other than the other person. Ryan also noted that they were in there against their will and seemingly very much so now, because they both seemed quite desperate to escape the very crowding confines of the drama room, especially Troy.

The blond was just doing up his buttons when he noticed that Troy seemed to be having some sort of anxiety attack or something because it seemed that he was having trouble breathing. He took a step towards the asphyxiating basketball captain but stopped when Troy seemed to have found his breath again. Troy had noticed the intention, looked up and met Ryan's gaze only to look away, burying his face in his arms, between his knees, once more. The look Ryan saw in Troy's face seemed to be one of warning, _"Not one step further"_.

Ryan remained rooted to the spot, staring at Troy, considering whether he was supposed to disregard this warning as a macho front and sit by him to be a shoulder to cry on, or to heed the warning and give Troy the space. Why was Ryan caring anyway? This is the boy that was causing the confusion Ryan was feeling. Troy was actually making Ryan even more confused by all the mixed signals Ryan was receiving from Troy.

Ryan chose to give the other boy his personal space, wanting his own personal space as well. He chose to head to the corner of the Drama room diagonally opposite the one Troy was occupying. He was going to put as much distance between them as he could. Damn Troy! He had just realized that he started with the wrong button at the bottom of his shirt so ended up with a hole but no button to fill it when he got to the top. Troy was distracting him, something else he was trained not to tolerate. He decided he would fix his shirt later; for now, he just needed to get away from Troy, and headed towards that corner he had decided on before.

Troy had caught Ryan's motion to comfort him and, temporarily distracted by this, found his breath and stopped Ryan's advance with a look before quickly turning away. The last thing he needed at the moment was to have Ryan close to him. Troy was totally open to the idea of homosexuality. He wasn't homophobic or anything, especially since there were times where being homophobic would be quite hypocritical of himself. He found some guys hot, and he knew it. He stopped trying to fight it and accepted himself for who he was.

He was gay, or bi, but for Ryan? He was not expecting that; not at all. Ryan was an alright looking guy, but he wasn't anything spectacular. Maybe it was just the mood and the situation they were in that was causing all these strange emotions to bubble to the surface and even violently splutter and spit. No, there was really no point in beating around the bush. Troy had feelings for Ryan and he knew it. He had had these feelings for a while but chose to push them down, deep in his mind, out of sight, so far that it slipped from conscious thought and remained alive in the subconscious part of his mind. He had pretty much forgotten about these feelings until it all came back to the surface.

The kiss opened the door in his subconscious mind, allowing the feelings to escape. This was what caused Troy to jump, to ruin the moment he had now realized he actually wanted so much. His feelings were so overwhelming that when he looked back inside his mind and found that surge of emotions, he forgot how to breathe.

Now he had pushed Ryan to the other corner of their room. _Their_ room, they had been sharing the room through so much now, that some sort of sense of mutual belonging and attachment was making its way in. Troy noticed that the one thing he was sharing with the other boy at the moment was the one thing they were being forced to share. He felt that he had screwed up something he hadn't even realized he did not want to screw up. It's too late now, right? Troy saw a single tear from his face, fall towards the floor, through the gap in his arms and between his legs, falling as if in slow motion, and then hit the ground with a tiny splash.

Ryan saw the tear. Even from the other side of the small room, he saw the glistening bead of water fall between Troy's legs. He had been watching Troy since he sat down in his own secluded corner of the drama room. What was this guy doing to him? How was Troy making him question his own sexuality? Why was this whole gay thing bugging Ryan so much? It's not like he was homophobic or anything. He had already realized just a few minutes ago that he actually hadn't been thinking about his sexuality that much at all, and now that he was, he couldn't possibly already find himself in the non-conformist minority group. People already thought he was queer by the way he dressed and acted, and his interest in theatre; so he did not need his actual sexuality to support this notion as well.

If his orientation confirmed everyone else's already present suspicions, he would find himself a target quite quickly. There are probably already people, just waiting for him to slip up and definitively confirm that he was gay so that they could pounce and beat him up. He definitely did not want that. He did not want to adopt a lifestyle where he is prejudiced against and spat on. People were always going on about how homosexuality is an active choice. Well Ryan actively chose to no be gay. Despite what he had been thinking earlier, he was determined to make himself interested in the female form. He was not going to turn gay. He couldn't turn gay. It is not allowed.

The boys had been sitting in silence for a while, contemplating their respective internal struggles. This was one of those perfect moments where one would expect a tumble weed of sorts to just roll through the drama room. The awkward silence was engulfing the space between them, making the tiny room seem much larger. Each passing silent second made the two seem further and further apart. The great gulf between them continued to widen as the tension in the air caused a silent storm to rage in the proverbial gulf. The boys would stare at one another, quickly averting their eyes when the other looked their way. They both could tell that the other was in deep thought, which made pondering what the other was thinking another task for their already overloaded minds. The silence would drive someone insane.

Troy felt Ryan's presence drifting further away from him. He needed to do something before he was out of reach. Troy thought back to why they were at opposite ends of what has become their world. The kiss, that momentary touch of lips was the beginning, the kiss that Troy induced but did not instigate. "Why did you kiss me?" The words had escaped Troy's mouth before he even realized he was speaking. He broke the silence so abruptly that Ryan had jumped at the sound.

Ryan considered the question but tried to make it look like he wasn't thinking hard on the question. He gave the appearance that he hadn't even heard the question. He did kiss Troy. He admitted that to himself; but it was not his active decision to do so. It was an accident. He did not actually _want_ to kiss Troy. That would be gay, and he was NOT gay. Then again, how do you _accidentally_ kiss someone, from underneath? The effort to lift your head to bring your lips together must require conscious thought, right? So he was caught in the moment. It happens to many people. It didn't mean anything, right? Ryan had his own questions in his mind and did not really want to answer Troy's, so he asked his own. "Why do you care? You pulled back."

Troy bit his lip. That was not the response he was hoping for, or was it? "Did you not want me to pull back?"

"What?! NO! I mean, yes! I mean, I wanted you to pull back!"

"Then why did you kiss me in the first place?"

"I don't know. It was an accident…"

_An accident?_ Troy thought. How could it have been an accident? You don't go accidentally kissing people. It's not like they ran into each other and their faces happened to be aligned. Ryan had lifted his head to meet Troy's. "How could it be an accident? You kissed me!"

"Why do you care so much? You pretty much bolted immediately when it happened."

Damn. The conversation was going in circles and was stopping in a place Troy did not want it to stop. How was he going to explain this? "It was an accident…" he said quietly.

"Oh, so you can have accidents and I can't?!" Ryan was getting very angry with Troy. Why couldn't Troy just drop it? Being straight would be infinitely easier if he could be allowed to forget about the kiss. It was barely even a kiss. Their lips touched, that was it.

"No, I didn't mean… I just… I didn't mean to run away, okay?"

No… not okay. Ryan was not okay, nor was he finding anything okay. "Okay?! Do you think _this_ is ok?" Ryan pulled his shirt collar across, made easier by his mis-buttoning earlier, and showed the bruise which had now turned purple.

"Oh, Ryan, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…" Troy got up and covered the space between them in 4 easy strides.

Ryan saw Troy approaching and tried to escape but was stuck in the corner he put himself in.

When Troy reached Ryan, he stretched out a hand to examine the bruise. He knelt down on the floor, bringing them both to the same level. When he touched the bruised flesh, Ryan winced in pain.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm sorry Ryan. I didn't mean to hurt you." Troy was crying now. He had his forehead on Ryan's, still apologizing through his sobs. "I'm so sorry. I did not want to pull away. I wanted to stay. I wanted to kiss you."

"Get away from me you fag!" Ryan knocked Troy backwards onto the floor, as he got up and went to the door. Nope, it was still locked.

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC…**

* * *

_That was what gave me my break. People did not expect the last line, but is not that what you are supposed to do to keep writing interesting: twists? _

_I would also like to note, for those who care, the dramatic irony I intentionally put in this chapter. It started with Troy at the door and Ryan pushed to the ground, and now Ryan is at the door, with Troy pushed to the ground. I thought it would be a lovely ending to the chapter because of the symmetry._


	5. Ice Cream

_I was threatening to finish this story a little early like only after six chapters, or eight, but did not._

_This story has a lot of me in it, especially when it comes to Ryan's emotions. I was a reluctant gay, and I share many of Ryan's insecurities. I was in denial for a while too._

* * *

**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 5: **Ice Cream**

_"What are you doing?!"_

_"I'm sorry Ryan. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry. I did not want to pull away. I wanted to stay. I wanted to kiss you."_

_"Get away from me you fag!" _

**--XxXxX--**

Troy was a mess. He was on the floor, eyes puffy, face still wet from tear trails running across it. He had been shoved into the position he was in. It was an uncomfortable position but probably less painful than what he had inflicted on someone else moments before. He did not appear to have bruises on his upper body from the shove, though the force from which his back hit the floor might have a painful "after-taste".

The Wildcat let his body relax in the position he was in, quitting, for the moment, on his attempts to get back up. He stretched out his legs, which had been caught underneath him, because he was pushed backwards from a kneeling position. His knees felt much better now. A lot of tension in his upper body, he had not noticed was there before, was now slowly leaving him, as if it were diffusing out of his body and into the floor, due to gravity. He was in a much more relaxed state. Now, he could try and work out what had just happened, because it happened way too fast.

Troy was pulled out of this meditative state by the sound of a thud against the door. Ryan was there, slamming his fist against the door, before trying the door knob again. Ryan. That was what happened. The immediate memories were flooding back into Troy's mind. _Get away from me you fag!_ Ryan had called him a fag. No one had ever done that before. No one had ever known it to be true before. Did Ryan know? Troy was very good at hiding his thoughts, emotions, his very self. No one knew the real him. He chose to not let people know the real him.

Troy knew he was gay. He had admitted it to himself a while ago; but to have someone else say it to him, Troy was suddenly more aware of his homosexuality. He was suddenly aware that when it does get out, people are not going to be as accepting as he was of himself. There are many negative aspects to the homosexual lifestyle, which Troy has ignored, because he had believed that he could continue living a straight life, for the time being. Suddenly, the prospect of being called a fag, and being ostracized by his friends and community, had made its way into Troy's mind, and it cut him deep.

Ryan tried the door again. He considered ramming into it like they do in those cop shows, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to get it open that way. The doors were designed to stay closed once there was a Lockdown. It would be pointless if some kid could just knock it down; but the room must have an exit of some kind. It would be against the building regulations if the room could not be exited in emergencies and this seemed like a dire situation. There should be an alternative means of escape from the room he may have previously overlooked. Then it hit him, the window.

The Drama King gave up on the door, though his surrender was not dramatic at all. He did not curse the door, nor did he direct any rage or emotion towards it. He simply removed his hands from the door, severing the almost constant contact he had with the structure since he had crossed the room from the other corner. He took one step back, calmly moving away from the door, turned around to face the window, and made his way to the alternative exit.

Ryan tried to open the window, putting all his weight into creating a hole for departure. The window did not even budge. _They don't open._ He mentally kicked himself after giving himself the same advice he had given Troy earlier, forgetting that the windows are practically sealed shut. Troy himself had attempted to open this window and had about as much success as Ryan was having, but Troy wasn't looking for an escape then. Nothing had happened yet then. Maybe Troy just hadn't tried as hard because he did not actually _need_ the window open. Now Ryan, however, apparently did.

"They don't open, remember?" Troy reminded Ryan as he watched the blond mimic his own movements before.

"I know!" Ryan retorted quite heatedly. Troy had noticed this tone of voice.

"Ryan…" Troy began.

"Don't talk to me you queer!"

Troy was cut again. Again he was hit by the prospect of being spat at for his sexuality. This second reminder made him think about it even more, to the much more serious outcomes of his lifestyle. He could see himself getting bashed by people he knew. The two names he had just been called in the last few minutes, spoken with such venom, had the feeling of a punch to the gut. A punch that had come from Ryan, the person he was just realizing he liked. The person he was discovering that he more than liked. This just made it hurt more.

Ryan could see that he had hurt Troy emotionally. The room seemed to be getting to him. He was saying things he did not quite mean. His emotions were running high. He was losing control. He needed to calm down. He was so caught up in trying to get out of the room that he was forgetting why. Why was he trying to escape? Why was he being so hard on Troy? Why was he accusing Troy of homosexuality? Wasn't it he who had kissed Troy? Damn. It was he that instigated the kiss. He was the gay one. _I am not gay!_ Ryan thought to himself. It's Troy. Troy is making him gay. Troy said himself, _"I wanted to kiss you."_ That was why he was accusing Troy. That was why he was trying to escape. Troy was trying to turn him; but what is so bad about being gay?_ No, I did not just consider being gay! I can't be gay. I can NOT be gay!_

**--**

_Ryan and his father were in the city. They were slurping on ice-creams his father had bought them on their way to pick up his mother and sister from a "women's function". Ryan was already __twelve __but you can never be too old for ice-cream. _

_Since the girls had their function, the men of the Evans family decided to go and have a walk around the city. They had left the car in a basement parking lot of a building and had walked around, examining the hustle and bustle of urban life while discussing their own. The girls were due to be finished so the boys were already making their way to the function hall after picking up some ice-creams. It was on their way that they saw the fight. _

_There were two men on the ground and a dozen or so others around them, beating them up. The men on the ground were being kicked, punched and yelled at, "Cock-sucking pansy!" _

"_Shouldn't somebody help them?" Ryan asked his father as they joined the crowd gathering to witness the bashing._

"_No. The two men being hurt are gay, which means they like other guys instead of girls. They are freaks and are getting what they deserve," his father had told him, as if it were just a normal piece of information one person tells another. There was no emotion behind it. It was just a common understanding. "Make sure you like girls, or you will end up like them."_

_Ryan thought about this for a moment. He liked girls. It wasn't like he was afraid of cooties or anything. He must have been safe; but the image of the men getting their faces kicked in would remain burned into his memory as a reminder. _Make sure you like girls, or you will end up like them.

**--**

Ryan could not let Troy turn him. He was not going to be gay. He refused to be gay. The kiss, it was a mistake. It was an accident. He did not mean for it to happen. It did not mean anything. He was not gay.

Troy watched Ryan give up on the window and calmly sit at the corner near the window. They were still both a great distance away from each other, but at least they were on the same side of the room instead of opposite corners. Troy continued watching as Ryan calmly sat, cross-legged, and entered his contemplative stance, staring blankly into space. Troy mirrored this move, getting up from lying on the floor and sat, cross-legged, in his corner, furthest from the door, but adjacent to Ryan's corner. Ryan hadn't noticed Troy's mimicry, seemingly very interested in a vague spot on the opposite wall yet looking through it s opposed to at it. Troy took this opportunity to examine the other boy more closely.

The brunet studied the blond as he sat, deep in thought. Ryan was not as scrawny as he appeared. He had a fair amount of flesh on his bones, forming quite a toned muscular frame on the guy. It must be from the dancing and other forms of performing Ryan participates in, Troy mused. That stuff is hard work, he had discovered during Twinkle Town. Ryan had a fine set of abs; Troy remembered seeing them during the brief moment he saw the boy shirtless during their card game. Troy thought Ryan was hot! There was no doubt about that. This discovery of physical attraction, coupled with the feelings that had surfaced during the kiss, had caused lust to well up inside the Wildcat. He was lusting after Ryan, who seemed to just keep hitting him with homophobic remarks. _Good job Troy. Way to fall for the hot homophobic straight guy (!)_ Troy's mind was taunting him, but he wouldn't let it consume him. He had to give himself some hope.

Maybe Ryan's homophobia is just his "beard" as Gabi was for Troy. Maybe Ryan just thought Troy was playing around when he said he did want to kiss him. Maybe Ryan liked Troy back. It had been Ryan who kissed Troy in the first place. There has to be something there. Maybe Troy just needs to assure Ryan that he isn't just fooling around. Maybe all he needs to do is come out to him properly.

"Ryan…" Troy started.

Ryan did not respond. He showed no indication that he heard Troy at all. He continued to stare off into space. This discouraged Troy a bit. How was he supposed to go about this? _Can you keep a secret?_ No, that was a bad way to start. _Are you listening?_ Nah. That might just anger him. Maybe he shouldn't start with a question. _I've got something I want to tell you._ Still sounds like it expects a response. Maybe he should just come right out and say it.

"Umm… I'm gay."

That snapped Ryan out of his deep thought, but he made no sign of it. Troy had just told him he was gay. Was Troy being serious? He sounded like it. Damn. Troy _was_ gay. This does not help things at all. What did Troy expect Ryan to say to this? Ryan felt like responding with an annoyed "duh!" but continued to look as if he hadn't heard the basketball star at all. He was trying to ignore what Troy was saying. Maybe a little time in his own mind will help him clear some things up.

"And… Uhh… I like you." Troy tried to continue, attempting to fill the silent void left by Ryan's disinterest. He was trying to find something else to add to his confession when the words "I like you" had escaped his mouth before he could stop himself.

Ryan looked nonplussed. "Why are you telling me this, Troy?" His tone of voice lightly laced with annoyance.

"I… I just thought… you should know…"

"Are you trying to turn me gay?!" Ryan snapped back.

"No!"

"Then what Bolton?! 'Cause I am not going to say I like you back, because I am NOT gay!"

"What is your problem?!" Troy was starting to get angry himself. "I thought you were my friend?!"

_Damn!_ Was Ryan still Troy's friend? They had been through so much recently, he did not really know. Did he want to be Troy's friend? Well, Troy might be gay, but its ok to be friends with a gay person, isn't it? That doesn't make you gay yourself, right? No, Troy should still be a friend. Ryan still wanted Troy to be a friend. Maybe they can put this behind them; but Troy said he liked him. Can they remain friends after that? Ryan hoped so. He really did want to keep Troy as a friend. He did not have many real friends, and Troy had been genuinely good to him, before the Lockdown. Well… even during the Lockdown. He did not want to lose one of the few friends he had managed to make. He bit his lip, considering his response.

"I am. I'm sorry… I just… I'm sorry. I still want to be friends"

"Ok…" Troy was surprised by this sudden change. He calmed down a bit. "What about the _fag_ thing?"

"I'm sorry I called you a fag. I just… I didn't… I freaked out. I'm sorry… I just thought… sorry."

"You weren't wrong, I guess, but it still hurt. What is with this sudden homophobia? What have you got against gay people?"

"It's not gay people… it's… umm… I just… I don't like homosexuality"

"Why not? There's nothing wrong with it."

"Well…" Ryan began. He told Troy the story about what his father told him when he was twelve. The two had moved closer to each other as Ryan told the story, meeting somewhere in the middle. Ryan finished his story, emphasizing what his father told him.

"So you think I'm a freak?!"

"No! It's not that. I'm just… afraid of turning gay…"

"'Cause of the bashing?"

Ryan nodded.

"It's ok. In the past few years, there have been less and less bashings. Even in just the last 5 years, people are becoming much more tolerant. The world is changing"

Ryan simply gave a nod of acknowledgement. He was beginning to overcome his homophobia.

"Well… _Are_ you turning gay?" Troy asked, maybe a little too hopeful.

"I dunno…" Ryan paused for a moment. "How did you know you were gay?"

"Well… I guess I kinda noticed how I did not really like girls that much, sexually, and then I started noticing guys…"

This was sounding similar to what Ryan was telling himself before. Was he gay? Maybe it was just Troy? The guy certainly had panache.

Troy saw that Ryan was thinking hard again. He stretched out a hand and placed it on the blond's shoulder as a sign of support. Ryan winced at the touch and Troy was reminded of the bruises he had inflicted.

"Sorry Ryan. I did not mean to do that to you. I guess I freaked out too and did something I didn't mean. Can I take a look at it?"

Troy had been given permission to undo some of the buttons on Ryan's shirt. He noticed that Ryan had put the buttons in the wrong holes and laughed a bit, lightening the atmosphere. Troy moved his hand across Ryan's shoulder and down his arm, pushing the shirt away from the bruise. He kept his hand on the other boys arm and pulled himself closer to take a better look at the bruise. Troy was so close to the exposed flesh now.

Ryan could feel Troy's hot breath on his skin. He heard and felt Troy whispering, "Sorry," before Troy placed a light kiss on his skin. Ryan felt a wave pulse through his body, from that point of contact, unsure whether it was pain from the bruise, or something else. Troy placed another light kiss on Ryan, a little closer to the neck than the previous kiss, but no longer on the bruised flesh. The wave had nothing to do with the bruise.

Troy was about to place another kiss, this time on the neck, when the boys heard someone banging on the door.

"TROY?!"

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC…**

* * *

_I think I was getting better at writing. The boys' bond is intensifying. I do not get much past kissing in this story. It is all Disney innocent._


	6. Crème

_This chapter is like a flashback, spin-off. It introduces Sharpay into the story, and gives a little lead up for her parts in the following chapters._

* * *

**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 6: **Crème**

**--XxXxX--**

"Ahhh!"

Sharpay had let out a scream that woke the entire household.

Her day had started so perfectly, she knew something terrible would happen, but this, this was really bad. It was definitely an omen, a sign that today was going to be far from a perfect day, unlike what her deceiving start of the day had told her.

She had woken up that morning to her clock radio playing her favorite song, "You Got It" by Lucas Grabeel. It was as if the song was talking about her. She examined herself in the large mirror that covered the entire wall opposite her bed. Yes, she has got it. Boi barked from his bed in her room.

"Yes, I know I am." Sharpay replied, pretending her dog had remarked on her looks. Her dog got up and walked out of the room, probably to head to the secondary study room, which seemed to be his favorite room in the house these days.

The blonde got out of bed. Even though it was a Saturday, she was not going to sleep in like everyone else. Too much beauty sleep has negating effects. She took her usual morning shower, knowing that she would have all the hot water to herself because no one else was up yet.

The temperature of the water was perfect first try, without the need to toggle with the hot and cold valves. Her shower room was designed to steam, helping her pores as she scrubbed with luffa and pumice to remove dead skin. Yes, even beauty gets dead skin; the difference is they remove it.

She got out of the shower and put on her bright pink bathrobe embroidered with her monogram "SE". Everything in her bathroom seemed to be pink and somehow branded with her stylized initials. She went to towel dry her hair. She wanted some natural curls today. After she had dealt with her hair, she walked over to the vanity unit within her bathroom to apply her Crème de la Mer.

Her bathroom was huge so there was a considerable distance between her shower and her vanity. Her Crème de la Mer was running low. It had been a week since it was due to be delivered. They did not sell the stuff at Albuquerque. The only place it was sold in New Mexico was in Santa Fe, so she had is sent over. It cost 125 for one ounce of the moisturizing cream. When she got to the jar of Crème, she saw that she had barely enough to cover her forehead. The way the jar was shaped gave the illusion that there was much more left when in fact, the bottom of the inside of the container was not the same as the bottom of the outside. This was when she screamed.

Sharpay's screech reverberated around her bathroom amplifying the sound that was projected throughout the Evans household waking up the family and their domestic helpers. The Evans knew that this is just an indication of worse things to come. Her day was going to go horribly wrong. Where was her Crème de la Mer? It should have arrived a week ago. It always arrived at that time, every month. What if the deliveryman delivered it to the wrong house? Some wrinkly old lady who does not even know what skin tone is, was probably enjoying the moisturizing effects of her 125-dollar cream.

This was not fair. How could someone not see that the cream was to go to the largest house on the street? Even a new delivery person could clearly see that the Evans family was the only one who could afford such products, and the delivery company was _never_ late. No, the cream was most likely delivered. Somebody in the house must have taken it for himself or herself.

Sharpay stormed out of her bathroom. She quickly got dressed in one of her pre-formed outfits. It had to have blue on the neck so that when light reflected off her clothing and onto her face, she would not look so shiny, plastic…, or dead. She new the tricks of the trade, but was not supposed to need then because she could supposedly afford the real deal.

Who had her Crème? There must be someone in the house who signed off on the delivery while she was absent and had decided to keep her miracle cream. Who could it be? Was there anyone in the house whose complexion as of late, been much better than it usually would be. Then again, that is assuming the person knows how to apply the cream, which is highly unlikely because no one could have experience since they obviously could not afford it. Maybe it was Ryan.

Ryan was a definite suspect. He did have a decent complexion, but then again, he would probably have his own products for that. Why would he take hers? What would he want with some Crème de la Mer? He did seem to dress like her, always quite dressy and barely casual. Did this mean he wanted her skin complexion as well? That would be a little to queer, even for him.

Sharpay chuckled at the thought of Ryan being queer. Could her brother be gay? He sure possessed some phenotypes of the homosexual man, but then that would be stereotyping, and generalizing. Evans' do not get stereotyped, nor generalized. They are unique. Besides, if Ryan were gay, she would know, right? After all, she was his twin sister.

Sharpay had already made it down the stairs to the atrium of the Evans household. Looking around, the room resembled the entrance hall of the von Trapp family mansion in the 1965 film based on the Broadway musical, _The Sound of Music_. The Evans atrium led to several large halls on the ground floor and had balconies on the second storey overlooking the large marble floor. The difference was that the large doors on one end of the atrium did not lead outside but to the entrance hall of the Evans home.

The maids and other such domestic help were bustling around, ducking between rooms to attend to their morning duties, all trying to see what had riled up the "Ice Queen" without falling victim to her murderous gaze. The attendees of the Evans household knew not to get in the way of Sharpay Evans, especially when she was in this state. They knew not to confront her, especially if they wanted to keep their jobs.

Alejandra, the Lady's Maid, was trying to avoid Sharpay's gaze as she walked across the atrium to get to the room of the Lady of the House. She may have had a high position, answering only to Mrs. Evans, but that did not mean she was impervious to the powers of the Drama Queen.

Sharpay noticed Jandra and thought there was something suspicious in the way she was moving across the room.

"Jandra!" Sharpay called out.

"It's _Jandra_", the maid corrected her pronunciation, saying her name as if the "J" where an "H" and rolling the "r".

"Whatever…" Sharpay sniffed at the maid's clothes and recognized a scent. "Are you wearing _Concepcion_?"

"Yes. Your mother gave it to me as a gift."

"Are you sure you did not take mine, because it would seem that my possessions are ending up in other peoples hands?"

"I did not steal your perfume, now if you would excuse me; your mother is waiting for me."

Sharpay let out a shriek of disbelief as the maid turner her back on the stunned blonde and walked away. No one is allowed to do that to her. She made a mental note to bring it up with her parents later.

Ryan had walked out of his room and was crossing the atrium himself, giving his twin sibling that quizzical look where he would quirk his eyebrows.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Sharpay snapped at her brother.

"To the drawing room. I need to practice for my _Richard III_ presentation for Monday."

"You can't use the drawing room! It's the only room with a window that faces the east for the morning sun. I need my manicure to be solar dried today."

"Well then I will use the second study." Ryan started towards the secondary study room, which served like a library annex.

"But Boi is in there, and he loves that room. He wants it to himself, and I think he deserves it, don't you?"

"Fine, I'll be in my room." Ryan was exasperated and just did not have the patience to argue with Sharpay that day. She is not usually this controlling at home so she must be pissed at something. Her Crème was probably out, Ryan thought. He chuckled to himself, remembering that he hid her newly delivered cream earlier in the week when it had arrived. This was beyond simple pranks as part of sibling rivalry. This was revenge.

Sharpay had _"__borrowed"_ Ryan's bistre Borsalino fedora, which held a lot of sentimental value to Ryan, about a month ago. He had searched for it for ages before she told him she had it. Although, to a normal person, not having your moisturizing cream would not be the same as not having your most cherished hat, to Sharpay it was worse, and Ryan knew this. He pulled the Crème out of its hiding place and placed it on his table, beside his cell phone, to revel in his revenge.

After a few minutes of watching the jar of expensive moisturizing cream and thinking about what it was doing to her sister, Ryan decided he would practice his presentation at school. He could easily ask Ray, the weekend custodian, to let him into the school.

Ryan grabbed his copy of the play and picked a bag from among the numerous bags hanging from hooks behind his door. He had different bags to go with his different outfits. He chose one that matched what he was wearing and quickly checked what was inside before throwing the play in. He had last used the bag when the class went on a field trip during the week. There was still an unopened snack bar inside the bag, and a deck of cards, for when he got bored on the bus. He might as well leave them in there.

Ryan headed down towards the entrance of his house to take his car to the school. Sharpay saw him trying to leave as she was accosting the domestic help, sniffing for the trademark scent of her Crème de la Mer.

"Where are you off to?"

"I'm gonna practice my presentation at school in one of the drama rooms."

"You know, Ryan, there are many other rooms in this house."

"Yes, but _you_ are also in this house."

Sharpay let out a high-pitched scoff as her brother turned his back on her and headed out the door. People just were not respecting her authority that day, and the day had barely begun. It was still early in the morning and most people would still be in bed, especially since it was a Saturday morning. The Evans household was only up this early because of the scream Sharpay had let out. She needed a distraction or something.

Sharpay rants around the house for the rest of the morning. She had already forgotten about finding her lost moisturizing cream, busying herself with the task of setting extra tasks for the domestic help. She was yelling orders around, getting people to do more than they usually would, and much more than they were expected to. She kept herself in the atrium as she gave herself that manicure, so that she could continue to tell people what to do. It was the tiniest, most insignificant, details that she was exploiting, getting the maids to clean behind all the paintings in the house, and do other such tasks. Their spring-cleaning appeared to have come quite early since they were only half way through the fall season.

The blonde carefully made her way to the drawing room to allow her manicure to "solar dry". As she left the atrium and entered the drawing room, she thought she heard a collective sigh of relief echo around the house. She ignored it. It was time to relax. She had her fun.

As she sat by the large bay window of the drawing room, she let her mind drift and it chose to land on Troy. Her most recent attempts to woo the basketball star had failed yet again. In hindsight, she could see that her method of seduction had been quite underhanded during the summer. Since Gabriella had entered the picture, she felt a renewed sense of urgency when it came to her Wildcat, and then with his success in the school musical, he had secured the role of East High's primo boy, the counterpart of the role Sharpay believed she possessed, or else desperately yearned.

Troy Bolton was more than just a status figure, though. Sharpay knew that he was an all around good guy with stunning looks. He was the envy of the student body, with guys wanting to be him, and girls wanting to be with him. There may have even been guys who wanted to be with him as well. He was just so innocent. Sharpay hoped that her failed attempt at sabotaging Troy and Gabriella's relationship does not jeopardize her own relationship with the boy. She realized that she had not really spoken to him in a while; their last proper conversation was probably over the summer while Troy had worked at her parents' Resort. She considered finding him, so she could see where they were at, but did not want to do it while he was with Gabriella. The blonde considered where he would be at that moment and remembered that the Wildcats were at the school, helping with the set up of the new security system. Zeke had told her this, and although she found it somewhat annoying to have a person like that doting after her, he had his uses. Gabriella probably would not be at the school, so this might be the perfect opportunity to talk to Troy.

Sharpay got up and went to look for Ryan. She needed her lackey. She called out for him but no one responded. She decided to call his cell phone and as it started to ring, she remembered that he had left for the school already a while ago. She did not hang up immediately and heard Ryan's ring tone coming out of his room. He usually takes his phone with him. Maybe she should get it and take it to him when she meets him at the school. She entered his room and searched for the source of the ring tone, which was an mp3 of the song "All Over You" by The Spill Canvas.

The blonde recalled being surprised when her brother started listening to the acoustic punk music of the Iowan band. It just was not the style of music she expected her brother to be into, but then Ryan seemed to be a different person when in his room and when in public. It was as if he had two faces and his acoustic punk listening self was the side no one ever saw.

The song was barely getting into the chorus when Sharpay finally found the cell phone sitting on his desk. Isn't it interesting how when people are looking for something, they seem to refuse the more obvious places right in front of them? She hung up her own phone and went to pick up Ryan's when she saw what was sitting next to it. It was her Crème de la Mer! Sharpay realized that Ryan had taken it and felt furious. She stormed out of his room and headed to her car, but not before grabbing his bistre Borsalino fedora. The hat clashed terribly with her outfit, but it would be worth the look on Ryan's face when she arrives at the school wearing it.

The Ice Queen drove to the school fast and furious. She was going to live up to that title when she arrived. She hastily parked her car and noticed that its occupants had congregated in the cafeteria. Coach Bolton seemed to have employed the help of the cheerleaders as well as his basketball team, and everyone was mingling on the ground floor over pizza. She approached the group of teens heatedly and some of them jumped, surprised and scared by her sudden appearance, while others were sniggering at her choice of hat.

"Have any of you seen Ryan?"

"What would he be doing here?" one of the basketball players asked.

"He came here to practice in a drama room."

"Oh, well who was doing the Arts block?" asked one of the boys to no one in particular.

"I think it was Troy," piped up one of the cheerleaders.

"Yeah, it _was_ Troy," Coach Bolton confirmed after looking at his list.

"Hey, where is Troy?" someone asked, noticing the absence of the Basketball captain.

Everyone looked around and also noticed that Troy was indeed missing.

"Shouldn't he be here by now?"

"I'll go find him," volunteered Jason.

"Do you even know where the Arts block is?" Chad jeered, knowing that Jason spent his free time away from the court at the AV room, and definitely not in the Arts block.

"Yeah, Kelsi is there all the time." Jason replied with a cheesy grin.

"Ooooh!" his fellow teammates taunted. Kelsi and Jason were not a couple, because Kelsi was not into the whole high school romance scene, but he did tend to hang out with her more often since Troy auditioned for Twinkle Town. People were more accepting of his crush for the pianist after the Twinkle Town Musicale, than before.

Jason ran through the school, to the Arts Block, situated at the far end of the West wing of East High. He checked the Music corridor first, looking into all the classrooms in case Troy was caught up with something. He passed the rehearsal room where a large grand piano took residence. He smiled to himself, imagining Kelsi at the keys, working the pedals, making beautiful music. He paused only briefly before continuing down the Visual Arts corridor. Troy was not in any of the Art rooms either so he started down Performing Arts.

The Wildcat strolled past the empty classrooms, dance rooms and drama rooms but could not find Troy. He did not see Ryan either who, according to Sharpay, was supposedly practicing something in one of the Drama rooms. The Arts block was deserted. He was about to head back when he noticed the closed door. It was D17, a drama room. Ryan was most likely in there. Maybe Troy was with him. He approached the door and tried the knob but the door seemed to be locked. He banged on the door. He was a bit eager to return to the cafeteria already. The empty corridors were giving him the creeps.

"TROY?!"

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC…**

* * *

_Now I am right back where I was at the end of the last chapter. The following chapters change between two settings, whether it is the setting of inside/outside the room, or with Troy/with Ryan._

_It can get a little segmented, but it was a technique I was trying._


	7. Just Try

_Tryan action heats up, and the door finally opens…_

* * *

**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 7: **Just Try**

**--XxXxX--**

"_TROY?!"_

Ryan was about to call out to the person at the door, but Troy stopped him. Troy had placed a finger on the boy's lips and let out a gentle "shh…" before continuing to place that kiss on the neck which had been interrupted by the person at the door. Ryan was feeling a strange tingling all over. What was Troy doing to him? Whatever it was, it felt so good. He had never felt anything like this before, and Troy was causing this feeling. A _guy_ was causing this feeling. He must be gay. There was a scary thought.

Troy tried to ignore the person at the door. He had recognized the voice. It was one of his teammates, a fellow Wildcat. It was Jason Cross. What was Jason doing there? Did Jason know they were in there? Troy's silent question was answered when Jason asked his own through the door.

"_Troy? Are you in there?"_

So Jason did not know they were in there. Still, how dare he intrude on their nexus? Troy wanted some more alone time with Ryan. He had just realized he had feelings for the blond and Jason was not going to ruin the moment for him. He loved the feeling of Ryan's skin on his hands, and on his lips. He could feel the heat Ryan was radiating. It was like the boy was on fire, and Troy wanted to bask in the glow. Troy worked his way higher, placing another gentle kiss just under Ryan's jaw line. He was determined to ignore the intruder at the door, but Ryan apparently could not.

Ryan gently batted away Troy's finger, which was still on his lips. "Troy, shouldn't we tell him we are in here, so he can get us out?" he whispered.

"Let's just wait a bit longer." Troy had taken Ryan's decision to whisper as an indication that Ryan might want this to continue as well. "He will be back. We have been in here for a while now; we can be in here a little longer." He was kissing Ryan's cheek now. He placed a soft kiss just to the side of Ryan's lips and felt Ryan let out a heavy breath. It seemed that Jason had abandoned the door. Good, they were alone again.

Troy took the opportunity to press his lips against Ryan's. It was their second kiss and Troy intended for it to last much longer than the first. He wasn't pulling away this time and he hoped Ryan wouldn't either. The two teens lingered for a moment, lips touching. Troy thought he felt Ryan lean in a bit. Ryan was not pulling away. Troy took this as a sign and deepened the kiss. He pressed his lips harder onto Ryan's opening his mouth slightly, his tongue darting out, teasing its way into Ryan's mouth. Ryan pulled away.

"Stop…"

**--XxXxX--**

Jason got back to the cafeteria without Troy. He couldn't find him anywhere in the Arts Block. When his teammates saw him without Troy, they were puzzled.

"Where's Troy?" asked one of the cheerleaders.

"I couldn't find him," came Jason's simple response.

"Are you serious?" asked one of the Wildcats, thinking that Troy had come back with Jason but had just ducked off to the toilet or something.

"Maybe he is just hiding or something?" one of the Wildcats suggested.

"Yeah, he's probably planning some prank," Chad piped in.

"Did you at least find Ryan?" Sharpay asked, in a somewhat exasperated and demanding tone.

"Nah, the drama rooms were all empty… except for one maybe."

Sharpay was confused by this comment. "Well… was Ryan in that one room or not?!" She demanded.

"I don't know. The room was locked," Jason shrugged.

"That's where Ryan is, I know it! Can you unlock it?" Sharpay believed that her brother knew that she had discovered her Crème burglar. He was probably hiding from her wrath which she would make sure would get to him.

"You need the pass codes if you want to unlock the door."

"Then get them!" Sharpay demanded, growing tired of this conversation. Couldn't people just do what she wanted without her having to waste her breath telling them, she thought.

"Coach has them." Jason said, trying to dodge the gaze of the "Ice Princess" and shift her fury towards someone else.

"Argh!" Sharpay marched up to Coach Bolton and demanded the pass codes. She glared at him with such a scathing look that he relinquished his clipboard which contained all the pass codes. Not even Coach Bolton could withstand the stare of the "Mountain Lion".

"Show me the way, Jason."

Jason pulled a face, showing how much he did not want to be doing this, but made sure Sharpay did not see it. His teammates, however, did and laughed as he walked away with the "Mountain Lion" snapping at his heels.

**--XxXxX--**

"_Stop…"_

"What's wrong?" Troy immediately backed off when Ryan pulled away, not wanting to upset the guy. He thought things were going well, but obviously, something was wrong.

"Troy, we need to stop." Ryan was speaking quite calmly as if just stating a fact.

Troy thought that Ryan had just meant the kissing which he stopped the first time Ryan said to. "We have stopped."

"No Troy, I meant with this whole thing."

Troy understood what Ryan was talking about now; the blond did not want a relationship with him. This made Troy disappointed and apparently it showed because Ryan then started to try and explain, to comfort him.

"Look, I don't even know if I'm gay."

"Well, you didn't seem to mind when I was kissing you." Troy wasn't angry; he was trying to be cheeky. He was trying to lessen the seriousness of their conversation and smirked a little after his comment.

"But I didn't kiss you back either." Ryan maintained his seriousness despite Troy's obvious attempts at avoiding it.

Troy did not want to have this conversation. He was enjoying their kiss and wanted it to last. He wanted to be able to kiss the other boy more, but he could see that he had to overcome this discussion first. He resigned to it with a sigh.

"Okay… Ryan, I already told you, I like you… a lot. I just… I wanted… I was hoping you liked me back." Troy was trying to gauge Ryan's feelings for him, if any.

Ryan sighed. Did he like Troy back? It seemed that he did, but he wasn't sure. He still didn't want to be gay, but he did want to be with Troy. He was so confused.

"Yes, Troy, I do like you… I guess… just not… I dunno… it's just the whole guy thing. You're a guy."

"I know." Troy said as if missing the issue completely.

"Yeah, I know you do… but things would be so much easier if you were a girl."

"But I'm not."

"Yes I know that too."

They seemed to be moving around in circles, just agreeing with each other about Troy's gender. Troy paused before responding. He thought Ryan was trying to make up excuses or something. It had to be more than just the fact that he wasn't a girl, because he thought Ryan was enjoying the kisses he was placing on the blond's neck.

"Look Ry, if you don't want this, I get it…" Troy started, but Ryan cut him off.

"No, it's just…" Ryan's voice trailed off into a mumble as Troy tried to catch what it _just_ was.

"Just what?"

"I don't know. I do want this, but… I don't." Ryan covered his face with his hands, letting out a deep breath. He considered what he had just said and realized that he didn't understand it himself. It sounded right as he was saying it but thinking back, he didn't really know what he meant by it. "I'm not making sense, am I?"

Troy let out a small laugh. "No, not really, but you look so cute when your confused."

Ryan smiled and jokingly punched Troy's arm.

"I'm serious. It's the way you quirk your eyebrows."

"You mean like this?" Ryan tried his best to imitate his own confused look but exaggerated it, making his face look contorted, causing Troy to let out a laugh.

"Seriously though, I really like you. Plus I think you are totally hot!"

Ryan let out a small laugh before lunging at Troy for the second time that day. Like the first, they started to roughhouse, and like the first, one ended on top of the other.

**--XxXxX--**

Jason and Sharpay were still walking back towards the Arts Block from the cafeteria. They were going at a much slower pace than when Jason went to find Troy because Sharpay had chosen to wear heels. Her mission was to intimidate her brother and height always helped with intimidation. Jason kept glancing at Sharpay whenever he thought she wasn't looking but she caught the glances and just glared at him as they continued through East High.

Jason kept looking back at Sharpay, even when he found a death glare looking right back at him. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh. The pissed-off face just added to the humor of the appearance. Sharpay heard the laugh and decided to heatedly confront her Wildcat escort.

"WHAT?! Why do you keep looking at me as if there is something funny on my face?"

"Huh? I wasn't looking at you." Jason replied as innocently as he could, while increasing his walking speed, eager to get to the locked door and get away from Sharpay.

"Don't play dumb. I saw you. What is it?!"

"It's the hat. What's with that? It doesn't exactly seem to match your clothes."

Sharpay stopped walking and just looked at him disbelievingly. "_You_ are giving _me_ fashion advice?! This from the guy who wears aubergine with ecru."

Jason had to stop too, and just gave her a look that either said "What is that?" or "So?" or both.

Sharpay couldn't be bothered wasting her breath, continuing to criticize his fashion sense so she decided to just indulge him. "It's Ryan's favorite hat. I'm just wearing it to piss him off… okay?" She removed the fedora and attached it to her handbag.

"Okay," Jason replied, but knew there was a lot more to the story.

They continued to walk in silence for a bit until they made it to the Arts Block. They still needed to go through Music and Visual Arts before making it to the Drama Rooms. Jason looked at the clipboard again, looking up the pass code for the locked room, Room D17. Jason tried but he could no longer contain his curiosity, "What did Ryan do to make you so pissed?"

"He stole my Crème de la Mer."

"What's that?"

"It's really expensive moisturizing cream."

"Oh." This just confirmed Jason's thoughts about Sharpay's vanity. First she buys really expensive moisturizing cream. _What's wrong with the regular stuff? Not that he uses it…_ Then she gets extremely pissed because it gets taken. _It's just moisturizing cream!_ Sharpay really needed to get a life.

**--XxXxX--**

Ryan ended up on top of Troy, but he wasn't pinning him to the ground. Troy relaxed in the position and had no intention of moving out from under Ryan. This seemed like less tense circumstances than when they last found themselves in this situation, but Troy noticed that Ryan was not lowering himself down like he had done. Ryan was biting his lip, looking down at the boy below him. They were both wearing their shirts this time, but now the heat seemed much more intense.

"Maybe we could just give it a go?" Troy suggested.

"I dunno Troy. I'm not sure I am ready for this."

"How would you know if you're ready, unless you give it a go?"

Ryan let out a sigh. He had very much lived by the "don't judge a book by its cover" creed and was always encouraging people to do things they haven't tried. He did not want to seem hypocritical.

"Why don't we just give it a chance? I believe this deserves a chance, don't you?" Troy asked.

"I just don't think I am ready for a gay relationship."

"How about a kiss then. Just one kiss. That's all I want."

"We've already had one kiss. I think we've already had two." Ryan reminded Troy.

"Well I stopped the first one and you stopped the second one so they don't count."

"Yes they do." Ryan countered.

"Fine. How about one _more_ then?"

"_Just_ one more?" Ryan teased.

"Well… If you want more than one, I won't complain." Troy said with a smirk.

Ryan let out a laugh. He loved this playful banter they were having. He was really having fun.

Troy saw how happy Ryan was, and decided to place his request again. "Just one kiss. That's all I ask. One long, passionate kiss. Look, you're the one on top. You're in control. It's up to you."

Ryan considered this for moment. One more kiss couldn't hurt, right? He decided he would go for it, lowering himself, bringing his face closer to Troy's. He kept his eyes open, watching Troy's face as inched closer and closer to the other boy. He saw Troy close his eyes tight and pucker his lips; it looked hilarious. He hadn't even reached the brunet before Troy's face put Ryan in hysterics. He was laughing so hard, but did not get off the guy.

"What?" Troy asked innocently, totally oblivious as to why he hadn't received the kiss he was expecting.

"You puckered." Ryan informed him, still laughing.

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"No."

"Troy, you did. Don't worry. It looked cute… and funny."

"Ha-ha-ha," Troy gave a sarcastic laugh. "I'm glad you could find this all highly amusing." He was slightly annoyed that all the blond was doing was laughing at his expense, especially when they were so close to making-out.

"Aww… C'mon, lighten up."

"I will if you stop laughing and perform that kiss you were about to give me."

"Who said I was going to kiss you."

Troy just looked at him with a fake look of shock on his face, making Ryan let out a small laugh.

"Okay." Ryan leant down again, his forehead landing on Troy's. Their noses were barely touching, and all Ryan could see were Troy's blue eyes.

Troy lifted his head, like Ryan had done the first time, closing the gap between them. As their lips touched, they were interrupted again by a loud voice from the other side of the door.

"RYAN!?"

**--XxXxX--**

Sharpay was calling out to her brother who she suspected was inside the locked Drama room. "Ryan, are you in there?!" Sharpay was yelling to the door. "If you are in there, you are so dead! I found my Crème. Did you think you could hide it from me forever?!" Sharpay huffed in frustration then turned to a startled looking Jason who was standing behind her, as far out of reach of her "claws" as possible. "Get this door open. NOW!"

Jason rushed over to the door and entered in the pass code. The door did not open. He tried the pass code again. The door remained locked.

"What's happening? Why isn't the door open?"

"The code isn't working."

"Are you sure you have the right code?"

"I…. uhh… I think so…"

"Well check again!" Sharpay demanded before stalking down the corridor to look in the other Drama rooms. She ducked her head into each one, examining them thoroughly for any signs of her brother.

Jason looked back at the list and found D17 again. The sheet told him the code should be 2148. That was what he was entering. He even tried the factory standard 0000 but neither was working. He tried several times as Sharpay made her way back to him but to no avail. "The code just isn't working Sharpay."

"Then try a different code."

"There are ten thousand possibilities." Jason whined.

"Then you better get started. I _want_ that door open. NOW!"

**--XxXxX--**

Troy could see the little red LED on the door blinking, indicating that someone was entering a wrong code. If they are entering codes systematically, they might just work out the right code causing the green LED to flash and the door to open. He no longer wanted that to happen, and it was because of the boy lying over him. He took his gaze away from the door and went back to look at the piercing gaze staring right back at him. "They are using different codes to try and unlock the door," he whispered.

"Will they be able to open the door?" Ryan whispered back sounding anxious, as if he did not want them to succeed.

"Don't you want them to open the door anymore?"

"Well… I guess I would prefer it if they opened the door later instead of now."

"Oh really?" Troy said playfully. "And why is that?" he asked knowing the answer.

"There's something I still wanna do…"

"Oh?" Troy said smirking.

"Yeah, I guess I should do it now in case they manage to get the door open." Ryan lowered his lips towards Troy's once again, but this time, Troy stopped them.

"Wait. So you're saying that we won't be doing this when we're out of here?"

"Troy, I don't think I am ready to come out yet. Especially since I am only now realizing I have something to come out of. I don't know if I am ready for a gay relationship."

"Not even just as friends who occasionally make-out?" Troy asked, laughing lightly, trying to lighten the mood because they had gotten serious again.

"Troy," Ryan said, exasperated. "I just… I don't think I can." He started to get up but Troy grabbed his arms and held him down.

"Can you just give it a chance? We can keep it to ourselves if you want. Just don't say no until you try."

Ryan bit his lower lip, thinking about what Troy was asking for. "I dunno…"

"Come on Ry. Please. For me?" Troy gave his best puppy dog pout which seemed to always work, though he had never tried it on Ryan before.

Ryan had to look away from the face. It was so cute. He would never be able to turn down Troy if he was looking at that face. He glanced back to see if Troy was still pouting, and he was. He let out a heavy sigh. "Fine."

Troy's cute pout turned into a huge grin. "Really? So you will be my secret boyfriend?" He may have sounded a little too hopeful, or enthusiastic, but he didn't care.

"Yes, I will be your secret boyfriend. Now kiss me before I change my mind."

Ryan dived into the kiss, pressing his lips hard onto Troy's. His tongue was sweeping across the other boy's lips, teasing its way into the other mouth. Troy lifted himself up, letting go of Ryan's arms and propping his upper body up on his elbows. He met Ryan's kiss with the same fashion, deepening the kiss and allowing Ryan's roaming tongue entrance past his lips. Troy's hands rested on Ryan's waist as Ryan's hands roamed Troy's back. Their tongues duelled in the heat of the kiss and the world around them just fell away. There was nothing else in existence in their minds, other than each other. They even failed to hear the now constant, and much louder banging on the door.

**--XxXxX--**

Jason was entering the codes on the list. He chose to do it this was as opposed to trying every number from 0001 to 9999 because there were fewer codes to try. Every time he entered a code and pressed enter, the little red LED would flash, indicating an incorrect code. He had already tried 20 different codes and could feel Sharpay getting extremely agitated behind him.

"Argh!"

Sharpay was trying to vent her frustration using incoherent sounds. She had, on occasion, considered bashing in her brother's fedora but decided against it, knowing that no matter how intimidating she could get, if she hurt the hat, she would be dead. She continued to watch as Jason entered another code and every time the red LED would flash, she would get more and more irritated. She was already forgetting about her Crème and was just pissed for the sake of it. "Move out of the way!" She demanded.

Sharpay pushed Jason out of the way and just started pushing buttons on the keypad on the door. This wasn't working either so she began to just pound at the key pad. She was thrashing at the door with her palms, to make sure she did not ruin the manicure she gave herself earlier that day. She had even progressed to the point where she was ramming the door with her shoulder.

Jason stepped back after being pushed aside by the crazy Sharpay. He decided to flick through the documents that were on the clipboard while keeping his distance from the monster that was bullying a Drama room door. He found a page he hadn't seen before. It mentioned a master code that would work on any door. This code was probably not supposed to be known to students so he wondered why he had it but then remembered that this was Coach Bolton's clipboard. He attempted to stop Sharpay's rampage without getting hurt himself, by tentatively stretching out his hand in front of her.

The Wildcat explained about the master code to the Drama Queen, and she allowed him to try it. He entered the master code and the green LED flashed, as sounds of the door unlocking could be heard.

Sharpay squealed in delight, and then burst into the previously locked room with Jason in toe.

Needless to say, they were surprised by what they saw.

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC...**

* * *

_And the door opens…_


	8. No

_Shock, arguments and break-ups…_

* * *

**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 8: **No**

_The Wildcat explained about the master code to the Drama Queen, and she allowed him to try it. He entered the master code and the green LED flashed, as sounds of the door unlocking could be heard._

_Sharpay squealed in delight, and then burst into the previously locked room with Jason in toe._

_Needless to say, they were surprised by what they saw._

**--XxXxX--**

Ryan and Troy broke their kiss when they saw the intruders burst in through the door. It was the first time they had seen peoples other than each other for what seemed to them to be a really long time. For the past few hours or so, their entire world had become just that room and each other, and the arrival of other people forced reality to come crashing down on their little bubble.

Sharpay gasped at the sight before her. Her twin brother was straddling her crush lying on the floor in the middle of the tiny drama room. He was practically on top of the other and she could have sworn that they were making out just as she entered though they were not anymore.

The actress quickly surveyed them, still completely dumbstruck by what she saw. Her brother's legs were on either side of the captain's, their stomachs were flushed together and Ryan's hands were on either side of Troy's head, supporting the weight of his upper body, while Tory's hands were on the small of Ryan's back.

Troy noticed where Sharpay's gaze had landed and quickly removed his hands from their position on the other boy's back though it did not do much in normalizing the situation as Ryan was still lying on top of him. He looked up at the blond and saw panic raging through his eyes. Troy was certain that his own expression mirrored that of the boy above him.

They were in a tight situation and Troy knew it. How could he have been so stupid? Why did he not just stop when he saw that people were clearly trying to enter? He was being naïve and narrow-minded and now he would have to pay for that dearly; but he got to kiss Ryan. Was that worth what he was going to have to endure now? Did he regret kissing Ryan? _Would_ he regret it later? Troy was snapped out of his thoughts when Sharpay spoke. He had almost forgotten that she was there, caught up in the thought that her presence had triggered.

"Uhh… Ryan… you… umm… left your cell phone… at home…" Sharpay managed to stammer out, looking away from the tangled bodies on the floor.

Sharpay was clearly flustered and still shocked at the sight before her. Just earlier that day she was contemplating the sexuality of her twin, and now to have evidence contrary to what she believed, had her thinking about her drifting relationship with her twin.

They had been growing further and further apart since the summer when her brother became a "wildcat" but she thought their Geminial bond would be enough to push through that. They had shared a womb, and she thought she knew everything about her fraternal twin but clearly, she was wrong. _Ryan is gay?!_Were there signs that she had somehow missed? She was with him most of the day; she would have seen it, right? Maybe she needed to pay more attention to her brother. What else about Ryan did she not know about? He could be cutting himself and she would not know. Maybe she was just wrong. Ryan is probably not gay and she is just misinterpreting what she is seeing. She knows Ryan and he cannot be gay…

The Drama Queen could not handle the overload of thoughts running through her head. She desperately tried to change the subject away from the two boys who were still on the floor. _Why could they not get up already? This would be so much easier if they were not on top of each other._ She dug her hands into her purse to busy herself and wrapped her hand around the very reason she had come to school and forgot when she saw the boys. Her Crème de la Mer seemed like a great distraction. She pulled it out of her bag, walked over to the boy and brandished the cream in front of his face.

"I found my cream in your room. You stole it!" Sharpay tried her best to sound mad at Ryan while continuing in her attempts to ignore the fact that he was still lying in Troy.

The two boys on the ground seemed to be frozen in their position, not wanting to move in case it draws the attention of the entire world, which was something both had always wanted, but not at that very moment.

Ryan watched as his sister waved around the jar of cream in front of his face but maintained his look of shock, confusion and sheer terror on his face. He was freaking out internally, and it seemed as if his external self had just shut down. He could not think clearly and his sister's reaction to his position puzzled him to paralysis. She had just seen him making out with Troy and could obviously see him on top of Troy, yet she just rants on about her cream as if it were a perfectly normal situation. Ryan appreciated that he was not the type to stare agape when he was shocked or else his mouth would have been wide open. _What was going through her head?_

"Well… What do you have to say for yourself? Huh?" Sharpay huffed as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

With one hand on her hip, the other holding out her Crème, Sharpay tried her best to look angry and intimidating in this truly awkward situation. She looked at her brother and he seemed completely dazed. He was obviously in no state to answer her and his non-answer just served to remind her of the position she found her brother in. Her distraction was not working so she quickly turned around and was met by another Wildcat whom she had forgotten was there.

"Jason, talk to Ryan!" She demanded, not wanting to turn around, and felt a need to exert some power on some subjects.

Jason ducked his head around the glaring ice princess and peered at the blond boy who was still on top of his captain. "Umm… why are you on top of Troy?"

Troy had not seen his teammate behind the towering figure of Sharpay until then. He knew that Jason came looking for him before but he did not realize that he was with Sharpay when they entered. His team would soon find out that he was gay. Even though he himself was comfortable with his homosexual tendencies, he was sure that others would not be so tolerant. Even if the team accepts him and even supports him, awkward situation such as in the locker rooms would ensue. His mates would feel less comfortable around him.

Maybe he could somehow, still keep his secret. Jason did seem genuinely confused when he asked the question. Maybe he could sweep this whole deal under the rug. Troy looked up at the boy above him, who was glancing between his sister's back and Jason's face and seemed as if he was about to answer when he was cut off.

"Obviously, they tripped over some of these foam things all over the floor, and just fell on each other. Someone seriously needs to tidy up this room, and turn on a few more lights. Why do you only have a few lights on, Ryan?" Sharpay asked this question without turning back around to look at her brother. She kept her gaze on Jason, who seemed to be accusing her brother of something she _believed_ him to be innocent of. She was trying to defend Ryan, but at the same time trying to convince herself that she was right, and maintain the delusion she had created for herself.

"But I thought I saw them kissing…" Jason attempted.

"THEY WERE NOT KISSING!" Sharpay snapped back.

Jason was taken aback by this sudden outburst from the Drama Queen before him. He had caught sight of them kissing when he and Sharpay had entered and was immediately hit by confusion as to what was going on. _Troy was gay?_ How was he supposed to react to seeing his captain making out with another guy?

The Wildcat did not have anything against homosexuals or homosexuality in general, but to see one of your mates all over some other guy was just too much. Does he tell everyone else? Should he? Could he? Would he?

The basketball player could see Sharpay just glaring at him as his mind continued to process his shock, confusion and sudden recoil at Sharpay's defensive attack. The glare of the mountain lion was becoming too strong; even when he was not looking at her, he could feel it. He spoke up to clear the tension between the figures in the room that were _standing_.

"Well it _looked_ like- …" Jason began, sounding like a sulking child.

"It may have _looked_ like they were kissing," Sharpay cut him off again, emphasizing the word _looked_ with her hands, "but you must have seen them at a funny angle. They were clearly not kissing."

"They so were."

"They so weren't"

"Uhh… yeah, they were."

"Uhh… no, they weren't."

"Yeah-eh"

"Nuh-uh"

Sharpay and Jason were arguing like a couple of little kids, mimicking the other's response, yet reversing it for themselves.

"Maybe we should just ask them," Jason suggested, peering again around the female twin, at the two figures still on the floor.

Sharpay broke away from her immature argument with the wildcat and turned her head, looking over her shoulder at the two horizontal figures.

The two boys quickly, and awkwardly, got up from their position on the floor, to stand beside each other opposite the other two teenagers who had recently been added to their milieu. Neither of them really wanted to depart from the other but they knew it was necessary.

The moment they moved apart, both boys felt the separation immediately. The sudden loss of warmth from the other man's body hit them so hard that both boys let out an audible gasp and suddenly looked away from each other and the two intruders.

Ryan shifted his weight between his feet and held his right elbow in his left hand. This was a seriously confusing and awkward moment. His sister seemed to be analyzing him at that moment. She always seemed to be analyzing him, whether it was his clothing, or his dancing, or merely his intelligence.

The blond kept his eyes on his toes, not wanting to look up and see the piercing gaze that he could feel sweeping across his person. He could tell his twin was looking for something inside him. _Reassurance maybe?_ He could vaguely remember her arguing that he was not kissing Troy.

_Troy._ This was another factor in this confusing and awkward moment. Just moments ago, Ryan was on top of the basketball team captain; just moments before that he was kissing that basketball captain, and now he was missing the closeness he was feeling. Just this morning, Ryan would have never thought he would be caught out for kissing a guy, a kiss that he instigated.

Come to think of it, Ryan initiated the kiss both times, and _he_ was supposed to be the straight one. So many things have happened since that morning, so many changes were taking place in Ryan's world and he was struggling to keep up. He had somehow managed to turn gay and get himself a secret boyfriend in one day. Things were moving excessively fast.

Sharpay turned back to Jason, looking away from her brother who seemed to look extremely uncomfortable. She had totally forgotten why she had turned to look at him in the first place, being caught up in trying to mentally ask her brother _"Are you gay?"_ Looking back at Jason, she was reminded of her argument, though not exactly sure where they were up to, so she decided to renew it.

"How could they have been kissing? Troy is with Gabriella." It pained her to remind herself that Troy was with some other girl, but it seemed to be her best ammunition for her brother's defense, even though she was not sure if she was fighting for the truth.

Troy had been building himself a tiny room inside his own mind, in which he could retreat in times like this, when the world around him was getting to be too much for him to handle; but he was thrown out of this room and back to reality at the mention of Gabriella. Troy already had a girlfriend, and here he was creating another relationship, a secret relationship. He felt like he was cheating on her.

Sharpay and Jason were still arguing but Troy could no longer hear what they were saying.

Troy had retreated into his mental hideout but now filled with guilt over Gabriella. Should he hold off on dating Ryan until he has broken up with Gabriella? Does he want to break up with Gabriella? Gabby is a sweet, kind, caring person and Troy did not want to hurt her. Does he love her? Does he love Ryan? Love is a strong word. He knows that he wants to be with Ryan. Even now, when there is only a one-foot gap between them, he could feel the distance.

The brunet looked over to Ryan, who was looking beautiful in the light coming through the door. Is it okay to want someone while you have someone else? Troy was feeling great pangs of guilt for wanting Ryan and having Gabriella. Could he have both? No. Which does he give up? Which could he give up?

Ryan feels a new gaze upon him. He looks up and sees Troy staring at him, deep in thought. He could see a sad expression on the playmaker's face. He could not discern the expression, as Troy's thoughts seemed quite distant. The best Ryan could make out was that Troy was either feeling guilt or regret.

Ryan could now see what was happening. He believed that Troy was realizing that he had made a mistake, and did not actually want a relationship with the blond. This realization seemed to make things less complicated; but he could not help feel his heart shatter, all the same, at the thought. He was fighting the feelings since they began creeping in and when he finally let them in, they destroyed him from the inside. He felt numb.

Nothing had happened yet. Troy had not officially broken off their relationship yet, but there was not much of a relationship to begin with. Nothing had happened yet. Ryan's eyes began to water. He suddenly noticed that his sister was tugging on his arm. Jason and his twin had apparently stopped arguing and were preparing to leave the room. He followed her out to the corridor.

The light was so much brighter outside, that the boys who were trapped in the drama room needed some time to adjust.

Sharpay decided she would take her brother straight home and so was going to leave the school through a back door, taking a shortcut to the parking lot.

Jason was going to take Troy back to the cafeteria to have what was left of the pizza, if there was anything left. They were going opposite ways and as Jason lead Troy back towards the cafeteria, the captain looked back towards Ryan. He had the same look of regret on his face, and Ryan felt a single tear escape his watery eyes, before turning away from his solitude companion and followed his sister out of the school.

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC...**

* * *

_Sad end, I know, but things are not over yet…_


	9. Troubled

_I am still in the processes of editing this chapter. It is quite a long one, but do not be put off by the length. It was somewhat necessary._

* * *

**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 9: **Troubled**

_Sharpay had decided that she would take her brother straight home._

_Jason went to take Troy back to the cafeteria to have what was left of the pizza._

_They were going opposite ways and as Jason lead Troy back towards the cafeteria, the captain looked back towards Ryan. He had the same look of regret on his face, and Ryan felt a single tear escape his watery eyes, before turning away from his solitude companion and followed his sister out of the school._

**--XxXxX--**

The two Evans' left the school out of the side door. It was supposed to be the Arts Block fire exit, but people used it so frequently, they just disabled the alarm on the door at first, and then they just replaced the door entirely, with proper glass doors like the other entrances to the school.

They exited through these doors, Ryan running ahead to hold the door open for his sister, not out of gentlemanly chivalry, but more a force of habit. He was used to holding doors open for his sister, even though he was his own individual now, and knew he did not have to do everything Sharpay tells him to do; he still tends to do it because it is harder to break a habit, then to start one.

Sharpay did not mind when her brother performed these submissive tasks. Why would she? Help is usually so hard to find these days. It was a little weird that Ryan still did these menial tasks since his "coming out", so to speak, over the summer, finding his individuality. _Coming out? Great!_ Sharpay had just reminded herself of her brother's apparent homosexuality and her internal argument over the sexuality of her fraternal twin consumed her once more.

The blonde foresaw her head aching from all this thinking the next day. Thank goodness, the next day was Sunday. She looked over to her brother as she passed him, walking out the door. She could see the faint, drying tear trail running down one of Ryan's cheeks. Ryan was obviously upset and there she was, thinking about the headache that she was going to receive.

Ryan's eyes saw his sister walk past him, but his brain did not process it, filing it to the side, as it was busy with more pressing matters. Troy gave him a look before they parted. It looked like guilt, regret, or shame. Was Troy already rethinking their secret relationship? Was Troy already _ending_ their secret relationship? They had just agreed to be secret boyfriends. Was that already over? Had it even begun?

Ryan was already feeling the pains of a homosexual life. He was keeping such a precious secret, which he was unsure as to whether it still existed. Troy was obviously sending him a message. Was Troy trying to say that he was ashamed at what they did? Was Troy regretting it? Was Troy feeling guilty about it?

So many questions were running through Ryan's head, none of which had an answer, but asked more questions. Then there was Gabriella. Who could forget Gabriella? Ryan forgot about Gabriella. During all that time when he and Troy were falling for each other or pushing each other away, he never thought to bring up the fact that Troy already had a girlfriend.

It would seem that Troy was reminded of his girlfriend at that last moment. Maybe that was why Troy was looking guilty. Would Troy choose Gabriella over Ryan? The blond already knew the answer. Clearly, he was not the one in the winning pile.

Sharpay was already halfway to her car when she turned around and did not find Ryan following closely behind her. She thought it may have just been part of his newfound individuality but as she quickly scanned the vicinity for signs of her brother, she noticed he was nowhere to be found. The blonde retraced her steps, still on the lookout for her twin. She found him still holding the door open, frozen in his position as if he were the statue of a doorman. She approached him cautiously, fearing that the next move he makes is an explosive one, as if his stillness was so he could wind himself up, creating internal pressure and tension. She tentatively poked him, causing him to snap out of his trance and look her way, still with a dazed expression on his face.

Sharpay was relieved that her brother was ok, or at least he seemed healthy; but then all the other anxieties she had which were making her head ache came back. She pushed all other worries out of her mind, and focused on her own personal agenda. Things were so much easier when she just thought of herself, and caused much less of a headache… for herself.

"Ryan, come on. We have to get home". Sharpay tugged on one of Ryan's arms in an attempt to get him to come with her.

Ryan did not make a sound, or move a muscle, barely acknowledging his sister's presence aside from turning his head to face her. He was not even looking at her; he seemed to be looking through her. This made Sharpay a little annoyed. She hated being ignored.

"Ryan! We have to get home now! I need to… talk to… mother about… Jandra…" Sharpay said, remembering her encounter with the Lady's Maid earlier that day.

Ryan continued to be unresponsive but allowed himself to be tugged by his sister towards her car. He was still very much deep in thought.

Ryan had been contemplating heavily on more than just his dwindling relationship with Troy, but also on his sexuality, or sexual orientation. Before walking into that drama room, he was sure he was straight, but now, he was not as certain. He did like the things Troy was doing (the kissing, not the emotional baggage that followed), but none of it was really gender specific. Ryan could have easily imagined a girl doing those things to him and it would have felt the same. A mouth is a mouth, right?

Other questions were plaguing Ryan's mind, thinking back to the conversation he had with Troy about his type. Even now, the blond still could not discern a type, especially when he was unsure about the gender. Could he be gay? He had put so much effort into fighting the thought that he had never really stopped to consider it long enough. Maybe it was just a phase. Maybe he was just experimenting, though Ryan had not exactly tried the vanilla yet, why is he already trying the chocolate? _Because the chocolate is so damn fine!_ Well, he was not going to get over Troy with that mentality.

Sharpay continued to tug her uncooperative brother across the parking lot, telling him off about how stubborn he was being, and ordering him around to no avail. It was amazing how she had managed to drag him thus far considering how he had been absently opposing her actions every step of the way, refusing to take any correct strides in the right direction.

Sharpay was practically zigzagging her way towards her car, somehow finding the strength to dig her heels in and pull her brother toward their destination. They say in the face of great adversity, the human body can call on great reserves of physical and mental strength to pull through almost anything, and Sharpay was desperately determined to get away from her headaches and confusion. She needed to get home and exercise some more dominion over her domain at the Evans household. Ryan continued to be unhelpful.

Ryan was so deep in thought. What if Troy was a one-off thing? Ryan did not seem to be attracted to any other guys. Maybe it was just Troy. If that were the case, then he could very well still be straight, and since Troy was apparently breaking it off already, then he could still lead a normal, heterosexual life. He would not have to worry about being the target of discrimination and abuse. He would not have to worry about being called names like "fag" or be looked down upon. He could be straight.

Ryan decided it was infinitely easier being straight and once he came to this realization, he suddenly took in his surroundings, startling his sister, but managed to walk the remaining distance to her car without aid.

**--XxXxX--**

Troy walked back towards the East High cafeteria with Jason at his side, though walking slightly behind him, as if observing and respecting rank. They walked down the various corridors of East High in silence.

Troy's mind was running through the "alone time" he had with a certain blond just earlier. It is interesting to think that as recently as that morning; Troy never really had had any thoughts about being with guys. He was open to the idea. "Feelings have no gender," he always believed, and the target of those feelings should not be limited to one gender either, it just is not fair. If you fall for a guy, you fall for a guy; it is not your fault.

Troy _had_ fallen for a guy, someone he was not really expecting to develop feelings for, but in retrospect, he could see that they were always there. How had he not noticed Ryan before? Troy thought back to when he watched Ryan audition for the Winter Musicale with Sharpay. Where were these feelings back then? It took being locked in a room all alone with the blond for Troy to find the feelings he never knew he had, but now cannot fathom how he ever lived without them. Ryan had suddenly seemed necessary to breathe and Troy started to take much deeper breaths, believing he had a shortage of air.

Jason noticed his captain's sudden shortage of breath and increased his walking pace so that he was in line with Troy, in case he needed any help. He never knew Troy to be asthmatic and they had played many games on court and done countless tiring drills without incident. He glanced over to see if Troy needed any assistance, and his gaze strangely focused on the taller boy's mouth as Jason watched air quickly move in and out passed Troy's lips. Jason's mind began to wander down a weird path, seeing in his mind what he had just recently witnessed, his captain's lips pressed against another guy's, and wondered that that felt like. _Weird._

Troy noticed Jason staring at him strangely, so he placed all his efforts into correcting his breathing. He needed to get a grip and take back some control. Jason turned away when Troy looked over. He dropped back a bit again, walking behind Troy instead of beside him now.

Troy was going through the conversations he had in that drama room when he had managed to bring his breathing back to normal. Their talk in the room started to echo around Troy's head. It was discussions of who they liked and stuff. Troy always had a great memory. He could remember conversations almost verbatim. A good memory was something necessary when you were a playmaker. Each following word just seemed to flow out once he remembered the first. If they had the same conversation now, would their responses be different?

**--**

"_So…"_

"_So…"_

"_Do you have a girlfriend?"_

"_No"_

"_I'm sorry I asked it"_

"_Nah, it's ok. I didn't really mind you asking. I was just kinda confused as to why you asked, but it's ok. How are things going with you and Gabriella?"_

**--**

_Gabriella._ Yet again, Troy's thoughts had been so pre-occupied by the Drama King that he had totally forgotten about his girlfriend. She was a nice enough girl, but was she enough? Would Ryan be enough? Either way, Troy knew he could not have both. People say that when you are torn between two engagements, it is best to go with the longest standing one. This would mean that Troy should go with Gabriella, but then again, Troy has only known Gabriella for less than a year. He has known Ryan for… well, he did not really _know_ Ryan much until a recently.

**--**

"_Would you mind if I take my shirt off? It is getting really hot. You can take yours off too if you want"_

"_I guess that's fine"_

"_Have you got a 5?"_

"_Nah, go fish."_

"_What? I know you have a 5. I saw it!"_

"_So you're cheating now?"_

"_You're the one who's cheating…"_

**--**

_The kiss._ That kiss was amazing. Thinking back to it, Troy could feel the lips against his, as if he were being kissed by Ryan's ghost right there in the corridor. It was one of those great moments Troy knew he would remember for the rest of his life, but then as his memory of the moment continued to run, he was reminded of "when the sh!t hit the fan". In retrospect, Troy felt that it would have probably been better to keep his mouth shut than to ask about the kiss.

**--**

"_Why did you kiss me?"_

"_Why do you care? You pulled back."_

"_Did you not want me to pull back?"_

"_What?! NO! I mean, yes! I mean, I wanted you to pull back!"_

"_Then why did you kiss me in the first place?"_

"_I don't know. It was an accident…"_

"_How could it be an accident? You kissed me!"_

"_Why do you care so much? You pretty much bolted immediately when it happened."_

" _It was an accident…"_

"_Oh, so you can have accidents and I can't?!"_

"_No, I didn't mean… I just… I didn't mean to run away, okay?"_

"_Okay?! Do you think _this_ is ok?"_

**--**

He could see the image of the bruise so clearly in his mind. He had hurt Ryan so badly. They had gotten really emotional in that room. Maybe that was just it. Maybe all that happened with Ryan was just a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing. It had all happened so fast. One moment they barely new each, sharing a snack bar; and the next they were making out and becoming secret boyfriends. Troy's relationship with Gabriella did not start that fast and it had been going strong.

Troy came to the conclusion that the thing he had with Ryan was not real, but a result of being trapped in a small room and full of emotions. It was nothing and he was better off staying with Gabriella.

As Troy was in the middle of that last realization, he was pushed forward from behind and found himself on the floor, flat on his belly, with his Wildcat teammate on top of him. He had forgotten Jason was following behind him but was now very much reminded of the fact.

Jason had been walking closely behind Troy and tripped over his own foot, toppling into the taller boy in front of him. He did not seem this clumsy on the court, but then again, he did not wear his two-sizes-too-big skate shoes when playing ball. He was also somewhat distracted by Troy's cute ass when he tripped.

The boys managed to detangle themselves from each other and got up, Jason constantly apologizing to Troy as they dusted themselves off before continuing towards the school cafeteria.

Troy allowed a single tear to fall from his eyes as he said a silent goodbye to Ryan, in his mind officially ending the relationship that had never really begun. This was one very emotional day for him.

**--XxXxX--**

The Evans twins were already in Sharpay's car, on their way home. They passed a familiar park, which marks the halfway point between school and home. This meant that there was only fifteen more minutes of awkward driving to endure before they reached the safety of the house and Sharpay was extremely relieved of this fact. Driving home with a broody brother was something very new to her. Ryan was usually a happy, excitable person; but all that seemed to have changed.

Sharpay adjusted the rear view mirror slightly to get a better look at her brother without appearing too intrusive but met his eyes looking right back in the mirror. She quickly re-adjusted it again seeing that he had noticed what she was doing and directed the mirror to point to herself instead.

The blonde chose to re-employ the tactic of being self-absorbed to forget about her external worries. Sharpay internally complemented herself on her perfect complexion, and suddenly remembered why she was hunting for Ryan at the school in the first place.

"Why did you take my Crème?"

The sudden break of silence startled Ryan. Caught off guard, his sister's question confused Ryan, not understanding why she was asking the question. _"What?!"_

"My Crème de la Mer… you stole it! I want to know why!"

Ryan was at a loss for words. He was still very confused by what Sharpay was saying. He could tell by the awkward first half of their journey home that Sharpay had not somehow "forgotten" about what she must have witnessed in the drama room. Normally she would have immediately been talking a whole lot about something superficial but she did not. Now she was suddenly being all superficial again and this sudden change was just too much for Ryan to handle at that moment. _"What?!"_

"Why did you steal my Crème de la Mer?" Sharpay said each word slowly and separately getting frustrated at her brother's ignorance. She thought he was playing dumb to try to weasel his way out of the situation.

Ryan still could not comprehend why here sister was suddenly talking about her facial cream. There were issues of such greater magnitude at hand. Ryan decided it was best to get some of what he was thinking out. He was never really one to bottle things up until the Lockdown, and he was finding it an awful sensation.

"You did see me with Troy, right?"

"What?! With Troy? You weren't with Troy." Sharpay had reverted to the denial defense.

"Yes I was."

"No you weren't."

"Don't tell me you didn't see him in the room…" Ryan looked over to his sister but she seemed to be concentrating on the road a little more than usual. She did not respond to his remark.

"Wow! It's amazing how you can spot the mismatched bracelet on a freshman from the other end of a corridor, but the fact that Troy was in a room totally escapes you."

"No!" Her brother's lack of understanding was frustrating Sharpay. "I know Troy was _there_, but he wasn't _with_ you. If Troy were _with_ an Evans, he would be with _me_."

"But he _was_ with me."

At that point, Sharpay just blew it. She seemed to have exploded in the driver's seat, ranting about how Troy was supposed to be hers and how Ryan could not possibly have Troy. In her heightened emotional state, Sharpay temporarily lost control of her vehicle and almost ran into oncoming traffic but managed to right herself in time, avoiding collision but still got an angry shout and horn toot from the other driver. She manages to pull the car over but her rant never ceases.

"No! He is mine! He is supposed to be _mine_! He cannot be yours if he is mine! Where is your proof? Huh?"

Sharpay's rant finally came to a momentary halt as she paused, glaring at Ryan with a look that seemed like she was daring him to answer.

"Well there was the kiss…" Ryan said quietly, "…and he isn't mine anyway," he added though his second comment sounded more like a mumble, even to his own ears and he was sure Sharpay hadn't heard it.

It was now Sharpay's turn to be lost for words. She was about to start her rant again, when she heard Ryan's reply and something clicked in her brain. _OMG! Ryan kissed Troy Bolton!_

**--XxXxX--**

The two Wildcats arrive in the cafeteria to an amusing scene where Chad was on his stomach, lying on the ground with three cheerleaders sitting on his back. Apparently, he could not get up. Everybody noticed Troy enter and greeted him; the cheerleaders on Chad remained seated as they waved up to Troy.

"Troy! Man, help me up!"

Troy could not help but laugh at his best friend's predicament. The mood in the room was so light and airy with the large glass windows covering one whole side of the cafeteria, allowing lots of natural light into the large room, contrasting greatly with the Drama room Troy had only recently been trapped in. Everyone was laughing and joking around as Chad finally managed to get the girls on his back to allow him up to greet his friend properly.

"Hey Troy! What happened to you, man?"

"I got trapped in one of the rooms when the Lockdown thing happened."

"Really?! Didn't you hear the warnings?"

"Nah, the Drama corridors have a screwed up sound system, remember?"

"I don't really go there, dude. You know that."

Troy laughed. It was nice to feel happy again. He was back where he should be; just hanging out with friends, making jokes, having a good time.

"So did you see Evans while you were there? Sharpay came by looking for him."

"Umm, yeah…" Troy considered whether he should tell everyone that he was trapped in the room with the guy, then realized that no harm could really come from telling, and it is better to be honest. "He was actually in the room with me when I got trapped." Troy looked over to Jason and they made a silent agreement to leave certain parts of the story out.

This new development piqued everyone's interest and they all gathered around to hear what had happened. Troy explained about the door locking and why Ryan had been in the room, and how Jason had come and saved them from their confines but made it seem like they just sat around and did nothing in the room. Jason had entered into the storytelling when his part came up and proudly explained how he found the master code as well as the scary antics of the female Evans, which made everyone laugh.

"So where is Sharpay now?" Zeke asked.

"She and Ryan took the back way to the parking lot and are probably on their way home by now."

"Oh…" Zeke sighed. He had been doing his part of the school when Sharpay had come in the first time and so missed her. He had been hoping to see her on her way out since everyone explained to him about her randomly coming in.

Everyone was now joking about Zeke's bizarre crush on the blonde twin when someone came up behind Troy and placed their hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?"

Troy did not need to guess. He could tell immediately who it was from her voice and her hands. He could recognize the touch of her hands and the sound of her voice so clearly, yet just moments before, he had totally forgotten her existence. He did not respond to the question but just pulled the hands down so that the arms rested on his shoulders, and turned around.

"Hey Gabriella," he said to her, though with a slight sense of guilt in his tone. Gabriella noticed something was off and was about to ask about it when Troy gave her a quick peck on the lips.

Troy could see that Gabriella knew something was off so quickly kissed her to hide it. The moment his lips made contact with Gabriella's, he found himself thinking back to Ryan and their first kiss. Maybe it wasn't just the heat of the moment. His mind starts going off track but Troy catches himself before he gives too much away.

"So… what are you doing here?" He asks Gabriella, trying to cover up his moment in the clouds.

"I just wanted to surprise you."

"Oh… ok… Thanks," Troy said, but his mind was still flitting back to inside the Drama room and his moments with Ryan.

"Is something wrong Troy?" Gabriella asked concerned.

Troy did not answer. He just looked at her blankly, considering what he would say, should he decide to open his mouth.

"He is probably just exhausted and hungry from being trapped in a small room for so long," someone suggested.

"Trapped? What happened?" The level of concern in Gabriella's voice rose dramatically.

The other Wildcats explained to Gabriella what happened with Troy as she listened intently, her hand squeezing Troy's hand to show her anxiety. Troy, however, was not paying attention but rather thinking about a certain blond again. He was now rethinking the decision he had made earlier to stick with Gabriella. Ryan was obviously not just a heat-of-the-moment thing. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Chad nudged him, apparently asking for a response to something he said.

"Sorry, what?"

"Are you sure you're ok, man?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What did you say?"

"I said, at least you weren't alone and were stuck with Ryan. He's cool, aye?"

Troy internally agreed with Chad, though a lot more so than he probably should have. He was zoning out again as visions of Ryan's face once again invaded his thoughts. He realized he hadn't answered yet when he noticed everyone looking at him weirdly, especially Jason, whom Troy felt knew, what was going on inside his mind.

"Umm, yeah, he's cool."

His teammates still looked at him concernedly but then Coach Bolton had come in and announced that everyone should head home. Everybody said their goodbyes and confirmed plans for get-togethers on the Sunday. Troy walked with his father towards the parking lot before their quick drive home. They lived pretty close to East High but Troy's dad insisted on driving them both everyday anyway.

**--XxXxX--**

The Evans twins were back on the road and already close to home, after Sharpay's blowout. A new awkward silence had reigned in again when Sharpay realized her brother had indeed kissed Troy Bolton. She decided to busy herself with the radio and found Sum41's "With Me" playing on one of the stations. Sharpay was not usually one to be into a band like Sum41 but she had like the song "With Me" ever since it featured on a recent episode of Gossip Girl, her new favorite show.

"_I don't want this moment, to ever end, where everything's nothing, without you."_

Sharpay glanced across to her brother and noticed a look she does not see often. It reminded her of how her brother had looked over the summer when she had selfishly replaced him with Troy for the Midsummer Talent Show. Thinking back, she was always just thinking of herself and seemed to step all over everyone just to get her way, even her own brother. She suddenly felt extremely guilty over how she had been treating him, not just recently but over their entire lives, as it would seem. By the end of the summer, she had promised herself to be more considerate towards others, especially towards Ryan, but she seemed to be going back on that promise. She was determined to change.

"_Through it all, I made my mistakes. I stumble and fall, but I mean these words."_

Sharpay resigned to the idea of Ryan being with "her" man. Her justification was that at least it was one of the Evans twins who had snagged the Wildcat Superstar. It was better than it being that Montez girl. The blonde was suddenly overcome with a feeling of smugness at the thought of Troy leaving Gabriella for an Evans. It gave her some sense of accomplishment after her feeble attempts of breaking them up over the summer, and gave her a sense of family pride knowing that her brother was successful in one fell swoop. She was prepared to be happy for Ryan and his newfound relationship. That was when she got curious.

"So… What's it like kissing Troy Bolton?" Sharpay asked with a smirk.

Ryan did not even respond to the question. He was yet again confused by why his sister was asking a question, but also consumed by the sudden flood of memories of the kiss that had him zoning out.

"_Thoughts read unspoken, forever in doubt pieces of memories fall to the ground I know what I didn't have so I won't let this go 'cause it's true, I am nothing without you"_

With memories of the kiss came memories of the aftermath. Ryan recalled pushing Troy down and calling him a fag. Regret was pouring into his already bubbling concoction of emotions, swirling around at the pit of his stomach. Ryan remembered Troy coming out to him, and as his mind ran through the conversation, he was again reminded of the incident when he was twelve with the ice cream. "Gay" was not something Ryan wanted to be.

"_All the streets where I walked alone, with nowhere to go; I've come to an end"_

The memories of the Lockdown continued flowing through the blond and he unconsciously reached up and lightly touched the bruised flesh through his shirt. Troy had kissed him there, and the sensations of Troy's kisses seemed how have returned making Ryan's mind go blank momentarily.

Sharpay caught Ryan's movement from the corner of her eye, looked over and saw a glazed over expression on her brother's face. "That good, huh?" she quipped.

Ryan snapped back to reality when his sister spoke up. "Huh?"

"I said, 'that good, huh?'" Jokes were never funny if they had to be repeated and normally Sharpay would have been annoyed but she let this one slide.

"Oh… Uhh… It doesn't really make a difference. It's not like it is going to happen again."

Sharpay was now confused. "What? Why not?"

Ryan did not answer immediately. He just sat still. There was a short silence again between the two siblings, with the only sounds in the car coming from the radio.

"_In front of your eyes, it falls from the skies when you don't know what you're looking to find"_

"Ryan? Why wouldn't it happen again?" Sharpay asked her question again.

Ryan did not answer immediately. "It's like you said earlier in the room. He is with Gabriella."

"What? Didn't he leave her for you?"

"No…"

"So what? He's just… using you?" Sharpay was getting angry at Troy. How could he do such a thing?

"No… I don't think so… I think he just… forgot." Now that Ryan had said it aloud, it sounded pretty stupid, even to him.

"Forgot? How could you just forget something like-…?"

"Look!" Ryan cut her off. "I dunno… just… calm down… it doesn't matter anyway. Things are better this way. It's easier being straight."

Sharpay became silent. She did not have a response to her brother's last remark. She could tell he was having some major internal struggle and decided to leave him be and not add herself to his mounting pile of problems and issues to deal with.

"_I want you to know with everything I won't let this go; these words are my heart and soul I'll hold on to this moment you know, 'cause I'd bleed my heart out to show and I won't let go"_

As the final piano instrumental of the song played over the radio, Sharpay pulled into the driveway of their family home, feeling very different to when she had left it earlier that day.

**--XxXxX--**

Troy found himself in his room, again replaying the events of the Lockdown. He had come out to Ryan. He had come out as completely gay and he told Ryan this. Thinking back, he did not really know why he did this. He knew he was into guys, but to be a homosexual? What about Gabi?

**--**

"_Ryan… umm… I'm gay... and… uhh… I like you."_

"_Why are you telling me this, Troy?"_

"_I… I just thought… you should know…"_

**--**

It sounded extremely stupid in his head. He must have been high on something to just come out and confess all that, especially to someone who had just called him a fag and a queer.

**--**

"_Are you trying to turn me gay?!"_

"_No!"_

"_Then what Bolton?! 'Cause I am not going to say I like you back, because I am NOT gay!"_

"_What is your problem?! I thought you were my friend?!"_

**--**

That part sounded extremely childish to him. He chuckled a bit to him self, thinking about what he had said. _"I thought you were my friend?!"_ It was the kind of thing you say in Grade One when you wanted a kid to do something.

**--**

"_I am. I'm sorry… I just… I'm sorry. I still want to be friends"_

"_Ok…What about the fag thing?"_

"_I'm sorry I called you a fag. I just… I didn't… I freaked out. I'm sorry… I just thought… sorry."_

"_You weren't wrong, I guess, but it still hurt. What is with this sudden homophobia? What have you got against gay people?"_

"_It's not gay people… it's… umm… I just… I don't like homosexuality"_

"_Why not? There's nothing wrong with it."_

"_Well…"_

**--**

That was when Troy heard the story, a story that scares even him. He had never fully admitted his homosexuality before for fear of all the discrimination and persecution that such a confession would bring about. He thought that if he did not admit it, he might not have to become it. He never really understood that it was not really his choice.

**--**

"_So you think I'm a freak?!"_

"_No! It's not that. I'm just… afraid of turning gay…"_

"_Well… Are you turning gay?"_

"_I dunno… How did you know you were gay?"_

"_Well… I guess I kinda noticed how I did not really like girls that much, sexually, and then I started noticing guys…"_

**--**

Well that seemed to answer his previous question. They say no one is one hundred percent gay, or one hundred percent straight; and Troy did not really consider himself bi. There was a reason he did not have a girlfriend before Gabriella, even if he did not really know it himself.

At that moment, Troy's dad entered his room, telling him that dinner was ready. Apparently, Troy had drifted off to sleep sometime after they had gotten home and before he knew it, two hours had already passed. It was already dinnertime but Troy was still caught up in his memories, or dreams.

Jack Bolton noticed that something was troubling his son. He had seen it in his face on the drive home but chose not to push the matter. He knew that Troy would tell him what was troubling him when he was ready. They shared a good father-son relationship, which had always been open and honest, one of the things Jack loved about his son. He looked over to his son, lying in bed and judging by his facial expression, could tell that Troy was deep in thought. He probably did not hear him the first time, so Jack repeated himself a bit louder.

"Hey Troy! Dinner is ready."

Troy jerked out of his somniferous thoughts and snapped up into an upright sitting position on his bed. He glanced at his father with an exhausted look on his face, his mind still trying to recall and process what his father had just told him. "Huh?!"

"What's up with you today? Are you okay, son?" Troy's father asked concernedly.

"I'm fine, just tired… I guess," Troy lied.

Jack Bolton was not convinced but like in the car ride home, he did not push the matter. "Okay, well then come down for dinner. Your mother made meatloaf."

"Alright, just give me a sec." Troy swung his legs over the side of his bed and watched his father exit his room to head for the dining room.

The Wildcat could not find the energy to push him off the bed, nor the will power to try. His mind was still racing, poking holes at his own decisions. Troy was one to second-guess his own actions ad nauseam. His mind was still stuck on the topic of his newfound sexuality. He was gay, he was okay with that, but what was Gabriella then? Did he ever feel a real attraction towards her? Why did he go out with her if he was not actually into her gender?

So many questions were hammering away at his decisions in his mind; Troy felt as if the whole world had begun to crash down all around him. He felt as if he was drowning and he knew only two people who could save him, his parents.

**--XxXxX--**

The Drama King had been spending the time between coming home and dinner locked in his room, determined not to think of a certain brunet. He wanted to expel the corrupting feelings that had entered his system that day and decided to cure his ailments with a large dosage of Story of the Year. He wasn't really one you would expect to listen to post-hardcore, punk rock but Ryan knew the secrets of music. Music was like his drug, it allowed him to escape, and you take different kinds for different purposes.

Ryan did not _only_ listen to Show Tunes as most people would think, but had a wide range of music that he listened to, depending on his mood, or need. He played percussion instrumentals and drum kit solos when he felt that the world was going excessively fast or too slow and he needed to get back into beat. He played awesome power ballads when he just wanted to escape from the world and go on a high; and he played hardcore punk rock when he just wanted to drown out the noise; drown out all the issues of life. The song that was currently blasting out of his personal, in-room, surround sound speakers was "Dive Right In" from Story of the Year's album, "Page Avenue". The song seemed particularly fitting for Ryan's situation. He was determined to fight his natural instincts of survival and allow himself to drift away from the thing he wanted the most.

Sharpay could hear Ryan's music from her room on across the atrium. She could not hear the actual lyrics but she knew the song from the melody, having heard Ryan playing it a few times, and could hear the lyrics in her head, _"And although my hands are shaking, I lie perfectly still, 'cause I'm determined to let myself sink down"_. She knew something must have really been upsetting Ryan if he was playing this song. The last time she could recall him playing that song was when he had humiliated himself in front of the entire East High student body during a school assembly. He had really just wanted to drown away that day, and Sharpay could tell this day was probably similar.

She decided she would go and console her brother before he did any lasting damage to himself, especially his eardrums, but wanted to apply some of her Crème de la Mer first. Now that she had gotten it back from her brother's clutches, she no longer had to ration its use and she wanted her skin to feel refreshed when she comforted Ryan. She searched around for where she had put her Crème, only to realize she had left it in her car. She went to one of several double garages contained within the Evans household and was surprised by the sight. She saw only her car in the garage and an empty space where Ryan's car would normally be. She continued to look at the empty space curiously, as she grabbed her Crème from her car and a thought suddenly occurred to her. How did Ryan get to East High? She decided to go ask him.

Ryan was lying on his back, across his bed with his head dangling backwards over the edge of one side. In his upside-down view of the world, he saw Sharpay enter the room and say something that he did not catch because of the volume of his music.

"_And I know I'm buried too far down, to feel the warmth from the sun again."_

Sharpay was now yelling something to Ryan but her voice was still not loud enough to compete with his music. Sharpay may have achieved some amazing feats with her vocal cords but she was yet to be in league with Ryan's stereos. He decided to turn down his music so he could hear his sister's voice. It might have been something important like the house was on fire or something. He did not get up but groped around his bed, while still lying on his back, in search of the remote for the stereo system.

Sharpay could tell was her brother was doing. He was being lazy. She scanned the bed he was lying on and saw that the remote he was searching for was not on it. She quickly looked around the room form her spot by the door and found the remote on his desk. Ryan would have been groping for ages before realizing it was not even on his bed, so Sharpay went over to his desk and got the remote herself. She turned off Ryan's music instead of just turning it down, much to Ryan's disapproval.

"Hey! I was listening to that!"

"Yes, and you were also damaging your hearing."

"I don't wear earrings."

Sharpay huffed in frustration, placing her hands on her hips as she attempted to give her brother her best look of contempt but was finding it difficult seeing as he was still looking at her upside-down.

"Ryan, you should get up. Your face is turning purple."

"So…"

"So… I heard that if you are like that too long, it could recolor the pigmentation of your facial skin."

With that, Ryan bolted up and ran over to his mirror to check if his face had permanently turned purple. It was not really that purple, and it was slowly turning pink. Ryan watched his face in the mirror for a while and when he was confident that he was not going to look like a blond turnip when he gets to school on Monday morning, he turned to address Sharpay.

"What are you doing here?"

Sharpay suddenly realized that she had forgotten her initial reason for coming to Ryan's room. She knew it was not actually about the music, but she could no longer recall what her purpose for confronting Ryan was.

Ryan saw the look on his sister's face and instantly knew what it meant. Her sister had forgotten something, which was rare but not impossible, so Ryan tended to make a note of it when it happened; but he was so caught up that day. He just wanted to get away and now his mind numbing music had been turned off, it felt like all the thoughts and emotions he had been suppressing had come flooding back in. He needed to get away, so he pushed passed his sister and walked to the garage to take his car out for a spin.

"Ryan!"

The "Mountain Lion" followed her sibling out of the room. She did not like being ignored. She found him at the door of the garage, where she had been moments ago, frozen. She looked inside to see what he was gawking at and remembered what she was in Ryan's room for.

"I remembered what I was going to ask now. How did you get to school?"

Ryan did not answer. He just continued being paralyzed, rooted to the spot. Ryan just seemed to stop moving when his mind went into overdrive. It was as if his mind could no longer work on moving him because it had other things to do. Ryan was thinking back to when they left the school, trying to remember if he saw his car there. He was getting a bad feeling that his car may have been stolen or something.

"Hey… umm… Sharpay, could you drive me back to school? I think my car might be stolen."

"Stolen, I doubt it. The car has those anti-theft systems you know. Besides, I need to stay home to fix my manicure. Trying to open that door was damaging. Try asking Troy. I'm sure he's home."

She had said it without thinking, but after it left her mouth, she was immediately regretting it. Troy was the person in their school and grade living closest to them. He lived only a few houses down, and actually walking distance from the Evans household. The Evans had never really asked the Boltons for anything before, and vice versa, but they made a point to acknowledge their proximity in case of emergency.

Ryan said a silent goodbye to his car. He was not feeling up to seeing Troy again that day.

**--XxXxX--**

Troy was sitting at the dinner table with his parents but had barely touched his food. He had only taken one bite of his meatloaf and he had swallowed that bite a while ago. He was now just staring at his plate, rolling a pea around with his fork.

"Is something wrong, dear?" asked Troy's mother.

"The food is great, mom. Thanks."

"Honey, you've barely touched your food," she had unnecessarily informed him.

"I've just got a lot of things on my mind at the moment."

"Well, would you like to talk about it? Your father and I are always here to talk if you need to."

Troy glanced between his mother and father. His mom looked concerned but his dad tried to remain somewhat indifferent.

Jack Bolton was trying to show Troy that he should be strong and can try to work it out on his own if he wants, but also show that he cared and was there if he was needed. He did not want to smother him but give him his space, yet not be out of reach. It was a difficult position being the father of a teenager, as Jack Bolton learned when he first discovered his son had auditioned for the East High Winter Musical. His parenting skills were improving with each new issue he guided his son through like over the summer break. He knew he needed to give Troy time, but was finding it difficult, seeing his son so troubled.

Troy knew his parents were always good for advice. They had always been there for him when he went through the rough patches of teenage life, especially his dad. Troy decided he would tell them, hoping they would understand and maybe help him too.

"Okay. I have something to tell you. Mom, dad, I'm gay."

An awkward silence descended upon the dinner table. Troy did not continue immediately, choosing to pause so that it could sink in. He looked at his parents. His mom appeared to be confused, as if she did not understand what "gay" meant, and his father continued to look indifferent, thought his expression seemed to have tensed up.

"A-a-are you sure? Do you need to take a test to be sure? Is there a test for this kind of thing?" asked Lucile Bolton.

"No, mom. I don't think there is a test, and I'm pretty sure."

"Maybe it's just a phase… maybe you will grow out of it…"

"Honey…" Jack Bolton tried to stop his wife's hysterics.

"Ohh, this is all my fault! I should have been encouraging the basketball more."

"Honey…"

"Maybe it was my genes. I have faulty genes. We think your uncle might be gay."

"Honey…"

"_Mom!"_

Mrs. Bolton stopped her rant, startled by her son.

"There is nothing wrong with being gay."

"Of course there isn't, son. We are glad you told us and still feel like you can confide in us. I love you, son." Jack got up and went to hug Troy.

"I love you, dad. Thanks."

"I know there isn't anything wrong with being gay. I guess I over reacted. You know I will always love you, Troy."

"I love you too, mom."

The whole family was in a group hug, and Troy started crying tears of relief at how this was turning out.

"So is that why you have been so upset this afternoon?" Troy's mother asked.

"Sorta. It's about Gabriella. What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, if you don't feel the same way about her, as she does about you, you should probably end it soon," suggested Troy's dad.

"But, I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"She will be more hurt when she finds you with a boyfriend and discovers you had been lying to her for such a long time."

"I know. It's just hard."

"It always is. Just remember, we are always here for you."

"Thanks."

"So… _do_ you have a boyfriend?" asked Lucile.

"Well… sorta."

"Who?"

"Ryan Evans…"

"The kid who won the Talent show at lava springs?" Jack Bolton asked.

"Yeah… That's him."

"Oh… He seems nice. I can't wait to meet him."

"It will be a while before that, I think."

"Ohh ok… This has been a good talk, but I think we should all turn in now. I'll clear the table. You get some rest, Troy. We can talk more in the morning," announced Troy's father.

Troy went up to his room and changed into his sleeping clothes. He was so happy about how things were turning out. His parents were happy, and he even already had a boyfriend after only one day of being gay. Therefore, he did not have to break it off with Ryan after all. He decided to call him and tell him about telling his parents. He was so happy and wanted to share it with someone, as well as wanting to hear Ryan's voice again.

He called Ryan's cell phone. He heard it ringing. It rang about ten times before he gave up. Ryan must have it on silent or is sleeping already. He would try again in the morning.

**--XxXxX--**

"_Yeah he's a looker, but I really think it's guts that matter most. I displayed them for you, strewn out about from coast to coast."_

Ryan could hear his phone ringing from the other side of the room. He tried to ignore it but the ringtone seemed to get increasingly louder as time went by. He got out of bed and walked over to his desk where his phone was sitting and could see from the caller ID that it was Troy calling him.

Ryan felt that he did not have the emotional or mental strength to survive a conversation with the other boy at that moment so chose to ignore the phone. He did not get it to hang up on Troy, but just allowed it to ring. He did not have voicemail, because he hated having to check it so his phone continued to ring until the other person hung up.

"_I gotta feel you in my bones again, I'm all over you. I'm not over you. I wanna taste you one more time ag-…"_

His ringtone finally ceased, and Ryan drifted into a deep sleep, refusing to dream.

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC...**

* * *

_Awkward situations and break-ups to come…_


	10. Awkward

_Troy came out to his parents and Ryan lost his car… What will happen next?_

* * *

**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 10: **Awkward**

**--XxXxX--**

Troy woke up Sunday morning to the usual scene. He was sprawled across his bed, lying on his stomach, hands hanging over both sides of the bed, and his duvet was a compacted heap at the foot of the bed. His pillows could be found somewhere on the floor beside the bed, further evidence of Troy's sleeping habits. Troy was a kicking sleeper, and could easily clear an area while in slumber. There was only one thing unusual about the scene that met Troy's morning eyes: his father sitting at his desk.

Jack Bolton noticed his son stirring on the tiny single bed. He really should get Troy a bigger bed. The boy was quickly outgrowing the one he currently occupied. Jack made a mental note to buy Troy a new bed as he continued to psyche himself into starting the conversation he had entered his son's room for.

No parent enjoys giving "the talk" but Jack felt it was necessary, now that he had learned Troy had a boyfriend. He hadn't given Troy the talk before, thinking that he did not need to considering that kids already learn that kind of stuff in Health class. He would know; he has to go through the curriculum. Now Troy was going to be doing things not taught in Health class and Jack felt that it was his duty to do this talk with his son and the sooner the better. Teenage boys are teenage boys, and when you have two in a… sexual… situation, there is little control.

"Troy," started Jack Bolton. He noticed Troy getting up and suddenly did not feel like doing what he was supposed to but he knew he had to. "We need to talk…"

Troy sat up to look at his father better. He could see his father was being very serious and maybe slightly upset at something. He should have expected this. He knew it was too good to be true.

"You don't really approve of me being gay… do you?"

Jack's eyes grew when he realized what his son was assuming. "No! That is not it at all. I'm okay with your homosexuality Troy, that's not what this is about." He voice was raised slightly, not from anger but out of defense.

"Are you sure?" Troy could still sense that something was up with his dad.

"Yes! I'm sure," Jack tried to think of a way to reassure his son but nothing came to mind except…

"Look Troy, I'll let you in on a secret to prove that I am okay with you being gay; but you can't tell anybody at all, especially your mother."

Troy was suddenly intrigued and curious about what this secret was and so agreed. "Okay."

"Okay… well… back in college, I… experimented… a bit." Jack was clearly uncomfortable telling this story.

"So you mean…" then Troy's face lit up with shock as he was hit with realization. Troy's mouth moved, opening and closing like a fish, but he was speechless.

"Yes... now don't tell anyone" Troy's father was whispering now, trying to hush his secret away.

"So…" Troy was still processing things in his head and interpreting what his father said when a nasty image entered his mind involving his father and one of his dad's college mates. He really did not want to think of his parents like that. He was sure disgust was suddenly showing on his face.

"Now you see why I can't disapprove because that would be pretty hypocritical of me…" said Jack, though he did notice the strange look on his son's face.

"Yes… I can see it all too clearly." Troy stated with a shudder.

The conversation was turning awkward much faster than Jack Bolton had anticipated so he quickly tried to change the topic so he could get this finished.

"Troy, I want to ask you something."

"Okay?" Troy was a little hesitant now, still trying to rid himself of that image.

"Have you… and Ryan… done… anything yet?" Jack asked the question slowly.

Troy did not understand the question at first but then realized what his father was asking and immediately went into defense mode like his father had done when Troy accused him of homophobia.

"What? NO! We have not… done… anything… DAD!" Troy had never known his father to ask him such a personal question. His father usually minded his own business when he should only pried into his son's life when necessary but then again, their relationship as father and son was pretty open so he did not really have to try that much, usually.

"I was just checking… so… well… that's… good… I guess." The awkward levels were really rising now.

"Just remember to… use protection… when you do get around to… doing… it."

Troy could now see exactly what the purpose of this conversation was and wished his bed would swallow him that very moment. He was sure he was also turning a bright shade of red.

"Well, I know how… abashing… it can be to go out and buy these… and I would hate for that to be an excuse to not use… them… so I decided to give you some from my own personal stores… just in case," and with that, Jack Bolton produced a pack of condoms from his pocket.

Troy stared at the things in his father's hands and now nasty images of his father and mother were running through his head. He knew that that was how he must have been created… but a kid was supposed to be under the impression that their parents stop after they were born, or at least after they found out about the birds and the bees. The little plastic packets in his father's hands were evidence that this was not the case, and Troy's mind had a habit of creating visuals for his conclusions.

"See… they're even flavored…"

_Ugh!_ Troy did not need _that_ image. He had now sunk back as far as he could into his bed, his hands covertly searching for pillows so that he may smother his face, but alas, they were on the floor.

"I'll just put them… here…," informed Troy's father, hesitantly placing the prophylactics in his son's top drawer.

"Do you… uhh… need to know… how to put them on?" Jack Bolton asked though hoped the answer was no.

Troy was still dumbstruck, his silence increasing the tension and awkwardness within the room.

"_Troy! Chad's here!"_ called Troy's mom from downstairs.

Jack took this opportunity to leave the awkward conversation. "I guess I'll be going now…" then without another word, he left his son's room, glad that that was over.

**--XxXxX--**

Ryan woke up Sunday morning to the usual routine. He got up and crossed his room to his computer, moving the mouse to rouse the machine out of its own sleep. As the slumbering PC initiated, he went to his personal bathroom to do what most humans did in the morning.

While in the bathroom, Ryan would also take his shower, washing his entire body to be ready for the new day. He always had his showers after Sharpay, knowing that she woke up extra early in the mornings for that, but there was never a shortage of hot water in the Evans household; there could never be with their state-of-the-art water heating system.

Once Ryan was toweled off and in his bathrobe, he would head back into his room and check his now wide-awake computer to see if any of his desktop email notifiers were alerting him of unread mail. He would also check his phone at this time, which was usually charging on his desk, to see if anyone had called or texted.

The actor liked to think of his replies to any communiqué he might have received during the night as he selected and donned the outfit for the day. This Sunday morning was quite dry on things to reply to with no communications to his phone and only chainmail and Bebo Spotlight in his inbox.

As Ryan picked out what to wear that day, he continued working hard to keep his mind of the person he had been trying to forget that entire morning. Ryan had an abnormal degree of control over his thoughts in the morning and had successfully pushed Troy out of his mind by the time he was downstairs and ready to have breakfast.

Sharpay was already sitting at the breakfast table when Ryan arrived, as usual. She had a bowl of non-fat yoghurt with fruit chunks sitting on the table in front of her, next to her cell phone. Sharpay, however, was behind a newspaper, immersed in some article. Sharpay reading a newspaper was a surprising but not unheard-of occurrence in the Evan's household. She liked to stay in the loop, especially when current affairs affected her or were of interest to her. Her latest obsession in world news was on the Writers Guild of America Strike.

"I still don't see how they could place our television and movies at ransom. It's just not right!"

Sharpay's cell phone began vibrating around on the table in pulses before her ringtone chimed in. _"We're flying first class, up in the sky; popping champagne, living the life… in the fast lane…"_ her phone rang.

Sharpay looked over her newspaper to her little pink communication device, noting the caller ID on the external screen before returning to the article she was reading. She was clearly ignoring the caller, but was choosing to make them think she just could not get to her phone or something, because she did not stop the ringing.

Ryan sat down as Fergie's _Glamorous_ was cut short when the caller apparently gave up. He was just picking the foods he wanted on his plate, building his breakfast, when Sharpay's phone rang again.

_Glamorous_ continued to play for an at least a minute undisturbed. Sharpay did not even look at her phone this time. She just left it to ring.

"Are you going to answer that?" Ryan asked his sibling across the table, already annoyed by the _Fergi-licious _sounds the vibrating phone was emitting.

"No…" replied Sharpay, dragging out the 'o' in a sarcastic tone as if it were obvious as to why she was ignoring her current caller.

"Why not?" countered Ryan with a similar hint of sarcasm, mocking his sister.

"Because it is just Zeke again…"

"So…?"

"So… I don't feel like talking to him."

"Why?"

"Because I…" Sharpay stopped when her phone stopped. She was speaking louder than normal so her voice could be heard over the ring tone and had just realized this, so in the newfound silence, she dropped her voice back down. "Because I don't want to… okay?"

"Okay"

Ryan started getting into his food when the annoying, buzzing pest started its song and dance again on the table.

"Will you just answer that already?!"

"No!" Sharpay did not like being told what to do.

"What if it isn't Zeke?"

"Well, there really isn't anyone worth talking to right now… except for Troy, but when he calls, my phone plays Avril's _Girlfriend_ instead." She returned to her newspaper with an expression of contentment when her phone stopped vibrating.

_Damn!_ Ryan was going so well that morning forgetting about Troy and his sister just had to bring him up. He suddenly felt a wave of depression wash over him.

Sharpay noticed the change in her brother's mood but did not make the connection between what she said and how her brother was feeling. She decided to try to make conversation.

"Ugh! I hate the WGA for going on this stupid strike. Like, I heard the rumors that CW picked up _Gossip Girl_ for a whole season, but they only have 2 unaired episodes left!"

Ryan decided to take the opportunity to immerse himself in something that was not Troy related. "Yeah, I reckon. They forced _Heroes_ to end early and there are only 5 more unaired episodes of _Supernatural_ left."

"Yeah, I liked _Supernatural_; not for the creepy, gory stuff, but more because Jared Padalecki is hot!"

Ryan rolled his eyes at his sister's comment. Trust her to find the one reason to like a show that really has nothing to do with why you are supposed to like a show.

"Maybe I could get Daddy to give some money to the Writers Guild so that they can stop this stupid strike…" Sharpay suggested.

"Mmm, yeah… maybe…" Ryan halfheartedly agreed, knowing that his father would never go for something like that.

Sharpay finally put the newspaper down and the two twins continued eating their breakfast. It was not a very busy day that day so they ate at a slow pace. The whole world tends to seem like its slowing down when you have nothing to do.

Sharpay, who had grown tired of the lack of conversation, suddenly broke the breakfast silence.

"So…"

"So…" Ryan returned, not being bothered finding a topic of conversation which was clearly what Sharpay wanted of him.

Sharpay thought for a bit before remembering something she had been meaning to ask. "How are you going to get your car back?"

With that, Ryan was suddenly reminded of Troy again and just slumped back in his chair with a look of despair plastered all over his face. _I need to escape him!_

**--XxXxX--**

Troy and Chad were playing hoops in Troy's backyard and Chad was winning. Chad did have his moments occasionally when he would outshine his captain, but he was really thrashing Troy that day and knew something was off.

"Are you going easy on me? Coz don't."

"No…"

"Then what's up, man? You seem off your game." Chad managed to get in another lay-up and punched the air in celebration.

"It's nothing…"

Chad noticed Coach Bolton watching them closely from the kitchen window. "Are you sure everything is fine?"

"Yes! Now let's play!"

Chad managed to score four more points before seeing Troy's dad in the window again. "Dude, what's up with Coach?"

"Nothing"

"Man, you got a whole lot of nothing happening today. What's up?"

Troy decided to surrender some of the truth to his best friend so that he would get off his back.

"My dad gave me _the talk_ this morning…"

"Whoa! Did he catch you and Gabriella making out on the couch or something?" Chad asked with a smirk.

"No…"

Chad attempted to stifle his chuckles. "Well then did you tell them you were planning on doing it?"

"NO!"

Chad could no longer contain it and was laughing so hard, he had to sit down. "Okay. Dude, I was kidding. I guess now I know why you have been off your game, I'd be freaked too if my parents were talking to me about sex."

"My dad even gave me condoms."

Chad suddenly perked up with this news. "Really?"

Troy noticed his friend's sudden change of tone. "Why? You want some?"

Chad considered this for a moment before waving it off with a laugh. "Haha… nah."

"Then let's just keep playing ball."

The boys continued playing basketball with Troy still not playing his best. They had even stopped playing the one-on-ones and tried H-O-R-S-E so that Troy could win something but he was still playing pretty badly.

"So, when do you plan on actually using those condoms with Gabriella?"

"Dude, shut up!"

"I'm just asking."

"Well don't," Troy countered frustration evident in his voice.

"Sorry…"

Troy knew he should not have been getting angry at his friend. "Look man, I don't even think I will be with her for much longer."

"Huh?"

"I'm planning on breaking up with her."

Chad missed the ball he was dribbling and it hit him in the face. He fell backwards both from the ball and from the shock of Troy's sudden revelation.

"What? Why?"

"I don't really like her in that way anymore." Troy had rushed over and helped Chad into a sitting position.

Chad just simply wore a look of confusion as he watched his captain confess his burdens.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Gabriella, I just don't think I… feel… for her what she feels for me and it's not fair to her."

"I get that man. Good luck with that. You know I always got your back... right?"

"Yeah… Thanks man." He held out a hand and helped Chad get back up on his feet.

The boys continued playing a little longer, Troy playing a little better now that he had shed some of the burdens lying heavily in his heart. He even managed to score and just as he was celebrating, someone was opening the gate on the side of the house and coming into the backyard.

It was Gabriella.

As she entered, Troy immediately froze in mid celebration, Chad was looking awkwardly between Troy and Gabriella, and Gabriella noticed that she must have walked into… something.

"Hey Troy!" she said with a perk.

"Hey Chad," she said out of politeness.

Troy tried to mumble some sort of reply but nothing came. The thought of his impending break-up had turned his mind to mush.

"Hey Gabriella, Troy and I were just playing some hoops," Chad spoke up to help cover for his friend.

"I can see that."

"Well, I should probably get going now, leave you two alone," and with that, Chad exited stage right.

Gabriella ran up to hug Troy and when she did, was hit by a wave of Troy-musk and sweat. Troy invited her inside while he went to wash off the sweat and freshen up.

As he showered, Troy considered what he was going to do about Gabriella. He knew he could not stay with her, not when he wanted to be with Ryan. He just stood in the hot water mulling things over and when he eventually came to a decision, he was already being pelted by cold water. He had not noticed until he snapped out of his contemplations and when he did, he jumped out of the water stream with a yelp.

He came downstairs all freshened up to find Gabriella in an animated conversation with his mother. Lucille Bolton seemed to have accepted her son's new sexuality because the messages she was sending her son with her eyes did not read, "See… she's a nice girl. Why not stick with her?" but rather, "Be gentle…"

Troy took Gabriella for a walk. They were holding hands and enjoying the sunshine when Troy stopped and removed his hand from Gabriella's hand.

"We need to talk."

**--XxXxX--**

"_Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York; and all the clouds that lour'd upon our house in the deep bosom of the ocean buried."_

Ryan was still practicing his presentation for Monday. He had to recite the opening soliloquy of Shakespeare's _Richard III_ and then give a detailed analysis. Senior year meant senior work, which was never made easy, but at least gave him something to do and think about other than… you know.

"_Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths; our bruised arms hung up for monuments; our stern alarums changed to merry meetings; our dreadful marches to delightful measures."_

"Ryan, what are you doing?" Sharpay said, unceremoniously entering the room and interrupting her brother's practice.

"I'm practicing for my presentation. It's a long soliloquy and I need to learn it by tomorrow."

"Oh, right. I managed to snag the Queen's Curse bit," Sharpay said with a smile.

"Well, goody for you. _Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths; our bruised arms hung up for monuments; our stern alarums -_"

"What's an alarum?" Sharpay cut in.

"It means alarm"

"Alarm?"

"Yes… alarum is an old form of 'alarm' which was originally a call to arms."

"Oh, okay."

"Can I continue?"

"Go ahead." Sharpay made herself comfortable, making it clear to her brother that he now had an audience.

"_Grim-visag'd war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front; and now,—instead of mounting barbed steeds, to fright the souls of fearful adversaries, — he…_ he… uhh…"

"Hehe? I did not know the Duke of Gloucester chuckled as he opened the play."

Ryan shot a glare at his sister before he continued his recital.

"_Grim-visag'd war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front; and now,—instead of mounting barbed steeds, to fright the souls of fearful adversaries, — he capers nimbly in a lady's chamber to… to…"_

"Now there is a tutu?" Sharpay quipped with a giggle.

"What are you doing here Sharpay? Your just distracting me." Ryan tried blaming his sister but he knew who was truly distracting him and they weren't blonde or female.

"Fine… I'll leave."

Sharpay got up and left Ryan alone in the room but stayed outside the door listening and watching. She did not close the door completely and Ryan, in his frustration, did not notice.

"_Grim-visag'd war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front; and now… now…_ ugh!" Ryan huffed in frustration and threw himself into the nearest chair in despair.

"Get over it Ryan… it was just a stupid kiss. Well… _many _stupid kisses, but still. Jeez, why can't I get him out of my head?" Ryan knew that he was officially going crazy now that he was talking to himself.

Sharpay chose this moment to walk in again and her brother quickly bolted up in his seat, not wanting to give away his frustration and especially the reason for his frustration.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Your car is back…"

"What! Really?"

"Yeah, Ashton just drove it here. Apparently he was trying to punk you but you didn't even notice your car missing at the school parking lot," Sharpay informed her brother nonchalantly.

"What? Ashton! Why didn't you tell me? Is he still here?"

Sharpay attempted to stifle her laugh so she could keep her joke going but Ryan could see through the abrupt snorts.

Ryan rolled his eyes at his sister. Trust her to do something like this.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. Jackie drove me down to the school after breakfast and I took your car back home. It was right there."

"Oh… ok… that's good… I guess."

Ryan was relieved that his car was back, but the relief did not show on his face.

"What's wrong now?" Sharpay asked.

"It's nothing…"

Sharpay stared down at her brother; a remarkable feat considering she is shorter than him. Her look told him that she knew something was up and was not going to drop it.

"Well… I… keep forgetting my lines…" Ryan lied. That was not what was troubling him but he was not going to tell his sister that.

"Well that's not good. You really should deal with your Troy issues." Sharpay advised.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well… yeah. Plus I am your twin; you can't hide anything from me," she said with a grin.

Ryan sighed.

"Look, the way I see it, you have two choices. You can either embrace it, or let it go. It's up to you. Personally, I would embrace it, but that's me."

She left her brother alone in the room again, except this time for real.

Ryan was left to his thoughts, which were still no clearer than before. The only thing obvious to him was that Troy... or his homosexuality... was the source of his frustrations.

**--XxXxX--**

"We need to talk."

"Wow… even from a guy, those four words doesn't sound too good."

"Yeah I know."

They walked around for just another minute or so, looking for a spot to sit. They should not be doing this while moving.

Fall can really be the most beautiful season, especially in Albuquerque. There is a tinge of yellow-orange on everything. The trees were covered with yellowing leaves and the ground around them was covered with similar colored leaves. The sky was even deciduous with an orange-yellow tinge as the sunset. It was beautifully romantic, but unfortunately, not the mood required for the situation.

"Gabriella, you should know. I really do love you… but-"

"Wait," Gabriella cut in. She shifted on the bus stop bench they had found to have this conversation. Once she had gotten more comfortable, she signaled for Troy to continue.

Troy looked at his girlfriend suspiciously, noticing how calm she was. Could she not tell she was about to be dumped?

"Gabi, I love you but-"

"Wait a minute" she halted him yet again, a realization dawning on her about their dusk conversation. "You're breaking up with me?"

"Well…" Troy was suddenly uncomfortable himself, fidgeting on the bench. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"So YOU are breaking up with ME?" Gabriella asked, pointing to the respective persons as she sought explanation and clarification of the issue.

"Well…"

"Well what?" Troy's one-word answers were frustrating Gabriella.

Her raised voice was heard by more than just Troy. An elderly woman had joined them on the bench, clearly in wait for the next bus. She was sitting unnoticed beside Troy until she peeked around Troy's broad shoulders to look at the person who had startled her.

"You should hold on to that one, boy. They don't get much prettier than her," suggested the much older woman.

Troy shifted on the bench, moving towards Gabriella and away from the old lady. Gabriella did not move away. She did not seem angry.

"You're breaking up with me." It was not a question anymore, but a statement, and after she had said it, Gabriella began to laugh.

Troy was now both extremely confused by his girlfriend's… well, ex-girlfriend's reaction and creeped out by the old woman beside him who seemed to have started stroking his muscled arm.

Gabriella's laugh got louder and louder. She was at the point where she was tearing from laughing but then abruptly stopped when she hear a man audibly clear his throat behind her. He looked annoyed and so she retreated into the chair, wiping away the laughter induced tears.

"What's so funny?" Troy asked.

"What's so funny? You're breaking up with me."

Troy still could not see what was so amusing about him breaking up with her. "So?"

"Well… _I_ was going to break up with you."

"You… were?" Troy had just processed what she had told him. His mind's processing speed seemed to go faster now that he was with Gabriella. Maybe it was her brainpower… or the absence of Ryan taking up RAM.

"Yes… I was… that's why I came over to your house today."

"Oh… why?"

"Why what?"

"Why were you going to break up with me?" Troy asked.

The man behind Gabriella cleared his throat again, stopping her from giving her reason. When she turned to enquire as to why he was trying to get her attention, she noticed the pregnant lady waiting for the seat. Troy and Gabriella quickly vacated the seat for the woman.

The old lady at Troy's side reluctantly let him go. She had moved from mere stroking to actually clutching his arm but Troy was too caught up in the break-up to notice until they had to get up.

They continued walking as Troy pressed Gabriella once again for her reason for wanting to break up with him.

"Well, since you managed to beat me to the punch, I think we should hear your reason first."

"My reason?"

"Yes… your reason for breaking up with me…"

"Well… uhh…"

"Troy, you can't have expected to break up with me and not give me a reason."

"I was kind of hoping you would be too broken up to ask for one."

Gabriella laughed. "Well don't you have an ego?" She jokingly punched him in the arm. "So… why?"

"I… found someone else."

"Oh really? Who?"

"Ryan…"

"Evans?"

Troy nodded.

"But he's… a guy…"

Troy nodded.

"You're gay?!"

Troy nodded again and sighed.

"Whoa! I did not expect that. I guess I support you and all… but whoa!" Gabriella was clearly surprised by this new information but did not regret asking Troy for his reason.

"Thanks Gabs, for the support."

"Yeah, of course. I just need some time to process this."

"I understand."

Troy stopped them walking and Gabriella noticed they were right in front of her house. Troy had been steering them in that direction in case things did not go so well. This had been part of the plan he had concocted in the shower.

"Wow, I'm home!" Gabriella exclaimed with a giggle. "I guess I will see you in school tomorrow Troy. Good luck with Ryan."

They parted ways, Gabriella going into her house, leaving Troy to consider his next move. The sun had definitely set by now, but it was not dark yet. The sky was just a pinky-purple. He began walking home, when he decided to go to Ryan's house. He had so much to tell him like about coming out to his parents and Gabriella.

**--XxXxX--**

Ryan answered the front door because he was just passing it when he heard the doorbell. The butler probably would not mind.

When he opened the door, he found someone he was not expecting, but then again, he was not expecting anyone at all that evening.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" asked Ryan to the visitor.

"Your sister called me over. She said it was an emergency," said Kelsi, the person at the door.

"_RYAN! Is Kelsi here yet?_" Sharpay screamed from the atrium.

"I guess your story checks out," Ryan joked and was about to lead Kelsi into the atrium when Sharpay appeared in the entrance hall.

"Kelsi, There is something wrong with this song!" Sharpay bellowed while brandishing some sheet music. Kelsi was still learning how to stand up for herself but somehow found strength and confidence when it was her music that was in question.

Ryan watched as the small girl marched up to his sister and confronted her. It was so amusing to see them duke it out that Ryan forgot about the open door behind him and was only reminded of it when he felt the fingers lightly tapping his shoulder.

When Ryan turned around, not only was he met with Troy's brilliant blue eyes, but also silence. Sharpay and Kelsi had stopped arguing when Troy made his presence known.

"Hi Ryan," Troy greeted hesitantly.

"Hi."

"We should probably leave them alone…" Sharpay whispered to Kelsi before leading her towards the atrium.

"Wait, what's going on there?"

Ryan and Troy could both hear what the two girls were saying. Sound carried well in the entrance hall of the Evans household.

"Are they gay?" asked Kelsi, clearly unaware that the subjects of her comment could hear her.

Sharpay managed to usher Kelsi out of the entrance hall but a little too late. There was an awkward tension between the boys now.

The girls had restarted their argument once in the atrium but the doors between the entrance hall and the atrium did little to mute their… loud… conversation.

"I don't like this part here!"

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's ALL wrong!"

Kelsi growled.

"I think Troy and Ryan can still hear us… wait…"

Sharpay seemed to think that some music could drown out their arguing and played the last song that seemed to be playing on Ryan's portable CD player.

"_I'm holding on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground…"_ One Republic's _Apologize_ sounded through the door into the entrance hall. It would seem that Sharpay's plan had worked and that the music had drowned out their arguing but they had probably hushed their voices or moved away from the door as well.

"What are you doing here Troy?"

Troy could tell that Ryan was trying to keep his voice calm but his eyes betrayed his feelings. Troy could see anger or frustration in those eyes and had to look away for fear of being burned by the glare.

"I wanted to see you…" Troy said as innocently as he could.

"Why?" Ryan asked, no longer trying to hide his tone.

"I thought we were… secret boyfriends," Troy tried.

"Oh really? Well maybe I don't want to be secret boyfriends…"

That last statement cut into Troy. He had just come out to his parents and his _ex_-girlfriend, and now his boyfriend didn't even want to be his boyfriend. Everything was turning out great. He should have known it was too good to last. Now he had two people who wanted to dump him that day.

"Why?" It was a simple question that had been asked of Troy several times that day already and it was his turn to ask.

"Why what?"

"Why don't you want to be secret boyfriends?"

"Look Troy, I don't even want to be gay…"

"But if we're together…"

"I saw the look on your face when we left the room yesterday. You were regretting it. You remembered Gabriella. It cut me so deep and I have been hurting over it yesterday and most of today… so I will make it easy for you so you can go with your girlfriend and not have to worry about me."

"_You tell me that you need me then you go and cut me down, but wait…"_

"_Shh!"_ Someone was being hushed some distance from the boys. They quickly glanced around for the source but found nothing. An awkward silence reigned before Troy spoke up.

"I broke up with her."

"Gabriella?"

"Yes, I told her about us. I even told my parents about us."

"I thought we were supposed to be _secret_…" Ryan goaded.

"_I loved you with a fire red- now it's turning blue, and you say..."_

"We are… I just… I'm sorry."

"…_"Sorry" like the angel heaven let me think was you but I'm afraid..."_

"That still doesn't change the fact that you were ready and willing to leave me for her. How do I know you won't do that again?"

"I'm sorry…"

Ryan merely shook his head.

"_It's too late to apologize, it's too late; I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late…"_

There was a disturbance at the door and Ryan noticed two heads quickly move away from the crack. No privacy or no peace.

Troy did not seem to notice the uninvited audience. He was still retreating into his mind's sanctuary. He had 2 break-ups, with barely half an hour between them.

"You should probably go…" Ryan suggested to Troy and with that, his _ex_-boyfriend turned and left through the still open door.

Ryan saw Troy stop and turn back to face him, before he closed the front door to the Evans household, shutting the door on Troy. He walked to the atrium and said, "Goodnight girls," to no one in particular as he crossed the threshold.

Sharpay placed a hand on her brother's shoulder stopping him continuing to his room. "Ryan…"

"Goodnight Sharpay." He brushed the hand off his shoulder and continued to his room.

He felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off him but it seemed to take more than it should have. Ryan now felt empty, a feeling which carried through his empty dreams.

"_I'm holdin' on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground…"_

**--XxXxX--**

**TBC…**

* * *

_Troy and Ryan are already over before anything began, but the story is not over yet…_


	11. Let's Talk

_Hiatus over!_

_Hey guys, I am finally back. School has been hell._

_I have not really been reading any new Tryans recently. I have been getting… distracted. If you know of a good new Tryan, tell me about it. If you have written a new Tryan, I will definitely try to read it, as long as I know it exists._

_This story goes to __**Cryaesion**__ as an early birthday present. He is such a great influence, and has managed to get me back on the horse, so everybody go thank him._

_**This chapter includes lyrics of the song, "Worth a Try" by tryanforever91. The song was written by tryanforever91 for his fic, "Sing with Me". It remains his property and I use it with no commercial intent.**_

_The final stretch… who knew? Sorry... I was just getting so frustrated with this story, that I just ended it..._

* * *

**Lockdown**** by Tertiary Genesis**

Chapter 11: **Let's Talk**

_ "I broke up with her."_

_"Gabriella?"_

_"Yes, I told her about us. I even told my parents about us."_

_"I thought we were supposed to be secret…"_

_"We are… I just… I'm sorry."_

_"That still doesn't change the fact that you were ready and willing to leave me for her. How do I know you won't do that again?"_

_"I'm sorry…"_

_"You should probably go…"_

**------------XxXxX------------**

Ryan arrived at school very early Monday morning. He was pretty much the only student there at the time. It was most unusual for him to enter school before everyone else. He would commonly enter school with Sharpay and she had always insisted on coming just early enough so that there was time to accomplish before school activities, but late enough so that they maximize the amount of students witnessing their entrance. With the Evans', entrance was key. Ryan decided to go against this convention that day and came to school well before almost all of his peers.

Empty schools always seemed creepy. There was just something about the lack of students in a place usually teeming with them that gave off an ominous vibe. It was as if the absence of bustling teens was due to some horrendous tragedy and even the lack of blood splattered on the walls posed a more sinister notion of a silent killer. Ryan should probably ease up on the suspense/thriller movies. Anything empty could easily set the scene for a psychotic killer rampage.

The Drama king continued to walk the familiar halls, still very much aware of how devoid the school was of bodies. He felt quite alone, but savored the silence caused by the lack of noise making mouths. There were few times when Ryan could be alone at school. He liked school. It was a place where he could be somebody. It was different to being at home. At home, you are already somebody, and you were only ever somebody to a handful of people. At school, being somebody took effort, which made it so much better when achieved. There was also the added fact that he had made friends with the Wildcats over the summer. Ryan really liked coming to school but there were times when he just wanted to be alone in his home away from home.

A few other students had arrived during the time Ryan was wandering East High's halls, so Ryan sought a quiet location to do what he had come in early to do. He had come into East especially early to fit in some last minute _Richard III_ practice. Sharpay was bugging him at home about the relationship status of him and Troy.

_"So what is happening with you and Troy?"_

_"Ryan, why won't you talk to me?"_

_"Ryan?"_

_"I do _not_ like being ignored. Ryan?"_

_"__Answer me!__"_

Ryan meandered through the Arts block. A drama room was the ideal place for his task. Ryan checked the drama rooms and was finding each one, in turn, locked. The custodian or somebody else must have locked the rooms after he left on Saturday or maybe even on Sunday. He reached the only unlocked drama room. It was D17.

_"I didn't think anyone c__omes into the school on weekends.__"_

_"Well, I needed to pra__ctice for my English assignment… __How about you?"_

_"I'm here to he__lp with the new security system.__"_

That room was probably not suitable. Ryan had barely set foot in it and his brain was already bombarding him with memories of two days past. He continued his search, already deciding that he was not going to use that room, but as he walked passed it, he noticed the room already occupied.

Ms. Darbus, Ryan found, was in the room, rummaging through a large cardboard box seemingly full of books. If one were to take a closer inspection, they would see that the books were _The Complete Works of William Shakespeare_, but Ryan did not need a closer look to see that. He had a copy at home and had recognized the cover, even from a distance, on the book in Ms. Darbus' hands. She seemed to be searching for something inside the box. It was probably the _teacher's handbook_ so that she knew the proper answers to the questions. Too many teachers use the "cheat sheet" these days.

Ryan continued his search for a secluded rehearsal stage and settled for an out-of-the-way stairwell in the back corner of the school, a location which students seldom used guaranteeing minimum distraction. Ryan easily snapped into character, a skill picked up from his numerous experiences on stage, and quickly became _Richard, Duke of Gloucester_.

_"But __I, that__ am not shap'd for sportive tricks, __n__or made to court an amorous looking-glass; I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty…"_

_Loves majesty; I want loves majesty._ Ryan found himself pausing, thoughts whirling inside his head, stimulated by his recital of Richard's soliloquy. His wants and needs were flashing before his eyes, as if his mind were trying to sort through them, rummaging through his desires in search for something, like Ms. Darbus was rummaging through that box.

_"I'm so sorry. I did not want to pull away. I wanted to stay. I wanted to kiss you."_

Troy's words echoed inside Ryan's head. _I wanted__ to stay. I wanted to kiss you._ The separation of the wants and needs of an Evans was arbitrary at best but even in the muddle of necessities and desires in Ryan's mind, he managed to find the want he did not want. _I wanted__ to stay. I wanted to kiss you. _They were Troy's words, but did Ryan reflect them? He chose not to dwell on it further and force himself to continue his rehearsal.

_"…__To strut before a wanton ambling nymph; I that am curtail'd of this fair proportion, cheated of feature by dissembling nature, deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time…"_

_Sent before my time…_ So many things were happening in Ryan's life in such a short period of time. He felt as if the huge rush of the fast life, which he expected when he entered the "real" world after high school, had come about a year early. So much was happening. There were huge decisions presented to him, things concerning his future, and he felt that he was in no way prepared or mature enough to deal with it all. Ryan's life had turned into some huge whirlwind of emotion that was threatening to wreak havoc upon his entire being. He was so lost.

_"… Into this breathing world, scarce half made up, and that so lamely and unfashionable that dogs bark at me, as I halt by them; why, I, in this weak piping time of peace, gave no delight to pass away the time…"_

There were times that Ryan himself hated watching time pass. Most of the time, he would wish that it just stop in a moment, or skip ahead to when things were better again; but time remained constant, moving at the slow pace it has moved since time began. Einstein once said that time was relative; if only Ryan had the ability to shift gravity enough so that he could slow things down or speed it up. The world was never turning his way.

_"… Unless to see my shadow in the sun and descant on mine own deformity: and therefore, since I cannot prove a lover…"_

_A lover…_ Ryan clearly could not prove a lover. He was someone's boyfriend for just one day and he had already broken off the relationship. There must have been something wrong with him if he could not sustain a relationship for more than a day. Maybe he was "_deform'd__"_ like Richard. Something was definitely wrong with him, but then again, it was not entirely his fault the relationship fell apart. He did not exactly have strong feelings for Troy, did he? Ryan had never really had strong feelings towards anyone before.

_"… __To enterta__in these fair well-spoken days, __I a__m determined to prove a villain…"_

Ryan thought he saw some movement in the lower hall, down the stairs from the landing which he was practicing on. For a moment, Ryan's heart stopped. Images reflecting his earlier thoughts were racing through his head. Maybe there really was some psychotic killer moving through the halls of East High. Ryan could picture some creepy, loner, pertinacious old man with a carving knife in tattered rags that used to a janitor's uniform. _The East High Slayer_, Ryan mused, trying to joke with himself and alleviate some of the fear rising within his chest.

Human beings are curious creatures, and even with the idea that the movement Ryan had noticed was by some crazy murderer, human instinct took over and made Ryan investigate the disturbance. When he got to the lower hall, he met, not a homicidal maniac, but the face of Troy Bolton, which seemed to posses the ability to kill him nonetheless.

The wall of the hallway, opposite Ryan's position at the foot of the stairs, adorned with a large "Wildcats" poster, had a larger-than-life image of the face belonging to the Wildcats' captain. With this provocative stimulus, memories of two days past once again bombarded Ryan's brain.

_"Will they be able to open the door?"_

_"Don't you want them to open the door anymore?"_

_"Well… I guess I would prefer it if they opened the door later instead of now."_

_"Oh really… and why is that?" _

_"There's something I still wanna do…"_

_"Oh?"_

_"Yeah, I guess I should do it now in case they manage to get the door open." _

_"Wait. So you're saying that we won't be doing this when we're out of here?"_

_"Troy, I don't think I am ready to come out yet. Especially since I am only now realizing I have something to come __out of__. I don't know if I am ready for a gay relationship."_

_"Not even just as friends who occasionally make-out?" _

_"Troy, I just… I don't think I can."_

_"Can you just give it a chance? We can keep it to ourselves if you want. Just don't say no until you try."_

_"I dunno…"_

_"Come on Ry. Please. __For me?"_

_"Fine."_

_"Really?__ So you will be my secret boyfriend?"_

_"Yes, I will be your secret boyfriend. Now kiss me before I change my mind."_

Ryan had never really had strong feelings towards anyone before. Clearly, that was no longer the case.

**------------XxXxX------------**

Suburban Albuquerque looked as though it was zooming by to Troy who was riding shotgun with his father on their way to East High. There were younger children and older children making their way to their respective schools on foot, and on bicycles. Troy just sat in silence, occasionally adjusting his seatbelt while staring out of the passenger side window.

Troy would usually take the bus, since his dad usually needed to be at the school much earlier than Troy could be bothered being awake for, but Troy's father offered to wait and give him a lift to school that day.

Jack Bolton never liked awkward silences. The conversation he had with his son the previous day was plenty awkward for the week. He could tell that there was something troubling his son. He wanted to reassure his offspring that he was there to talk to, so he chose to break the silence. "Troy?"

Troy turned his head to face his father who was still watching the road but intent on talking to him.

"Let's talk."

"Talk about what, dad?"

"What's happening with you and Ryan?" Troy's father did not know it at first, but he had hit the nail on the head.

Troy did not even respond to his father's question. He merely turned back around to watch suburban Albuquerque pass him by.

"Troy?"

No response.

"Troy? Did something happen between you and Ryan?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Troy replied with a tone of finality. He decided to turn the radio on to further emphasize that he did not want a conversation and Jesse McCartney's "Anybody" played through the car speakers, already half-way through the song.

_"Has anybody ever felt this way? Has anybody been ripped apart? Anybody give everything to the one __they__ love? Am I the only one left behind? Am I the only one who hates goodbyes? God I know this can't go on forever…"_

_How appropriate_, Troy thought before turning the radio off again.

"Is there something you want to talk about, son?"

"I said, 'I don't want to talk about it'."

"Okay."

A few moments of silence returned between the paternal pair as they continued to travel towards the school. The prevailing awkward silence proved to, once again, be too much for elder Bolton.

"Troy, you know you can talk to me about anything. I'm here if you need me."

Only silence met Jack's statement.

"Troy, I want to assure you that I accept… your lifestyle." Troy's father paused after the word "accept", considering what he should say it was that he was accepting in case it upset Troy even more.

Troy did not even seem to react, positively or negatively, to the remark. He had once again retreated into his inner mind's personal cocoon where the evils of the world around him could not harm his consciousness.

At this same time two days before, Troy was happy, with a girlfriend and straight. This time the day before, Troy was relieved, with a boyfriend and gay. At that moment, Troy had no clue what he was anymore, except alone.

After just one weekend, his entire life had turned upside-down. Things were moving so fast, it was surreal.

In the time he spent locked in the room with Ryan, Troy had discovered feelings that were so strong, it scared him. These feeling were not "developed" because development implies time and there was absolutely no time involved in the coming about of these feelings. Troy discovered the strong feelings and every discovery has its frightening elements. Troy's discovery had left him vulnerable and so soon after he made his discovery, he was hurt in the very weak-spot it created.

Troy never thought he could feel this way. The sheer strength of these emotions changed Troy, inside and out. His entire world was something completely alien to him now. Even his body and mind seemed foreign. After just spending time in that room with Ryan, he was prepared to come out to his parents and dump his girlfriend.

Ryan was like a drug. He had Troy doing things he would normally never do. Troy was hooked on Ryan after the first taste and was feeling the painful withdrawal symptoms one experiences when quitting Ryan. He was not even the one who made the choice to quit.

His father called Troy out of his mental shell where he contemplated his hectic life.

"Troy, I can tell you are hurting. It's no good to just stew in your pain, son."

"I'll be fine, dad," Troy responded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

The two male Boltons arrived at the parking lot of East High School. Troy's father bade farewell to his son before walking towards the side door on the school which lead to the teacher's lounge, leaving Troy to make his own way to the main entrance of the school. He was just walking out of the parking lot when he noticed the Sharpay driving in and parking her car. Ryan was not with her.

Troy approached the blonde and tentatively asked about where Ryan was. Sharpay looked at the boy curiously before informing him that Ryan went to school ahead of her for some reason. Troy took a moment to take this in, then headed for the front entrance, with Sharpay walking somewhere behind him, not following him but merely headed in the same direction.

**------------XxXxX------------**

Ryan tried to put away the homework for his later subjects in his locker and retrieve the necessary equipment for his first subjects. This was quite a routine action which he enacted everyday but on that particular day he seemed to have forgotten his timetable and just stood before his open locker, trying to recall his Monday morning lesson line-up.

This was common for most students as it was only a few weeks into the new school year but through years of stage training and having to learn lines and lyrics, Ryan had developed outstanding memory acuity and could confidently discard his physical timetable in lieu of his mental one. Ryan no longer had his paper schedule to refer to and scanned his locker, trying to find something that may remind him of what his first lesson of the week was.

The educational institution was quickly filling up with students because the first few school buses had just arrived to deposit their payload of teenagers. People were now milling around and bustling past Ryan. A few recognized him, members of the Drama club, or a Wildcat, and waved in greeting. He waved back politely before burying his head in his locker again, trying to remember which books he needed.

The students could hear Principal Matsui's voice over the PA system as he addressed the entire school population, or at least those who had already arrived, about the new Lockdown Protocol.

_"…where all the doors will automatically lock restricting movement around the school. Even if a door malfunctions and does not lock properly or unlocks too soon, you are not to leave your loca__tion until you hear the 'All Clear' alarm__. This will be exp__lained in further detail __dur__in__g__ Homeroom."_

Ryan noticed some freshmen examining one of the new keypads on a nearby door, daring each other to press a button. One boy surrendered to peer-pressure and pushed a button, earning a beep from the keypad, causing them all to run away. Ryan chuckled at their behavior before noticing a certain brunet walking down the hallway. He quickly buried his head into his locker once again hoping that the boy did not notice him there. As he heard Troy continue right past him without even stopping, he chanced a peek outside his locker and found his sister's face, just an inch from his.

"You know, now that we are out of the womb, we don't actually have to be so close to each other," Ryan joked.

"Even back then, you used to follow me around you know. That's why the left side of mother's placenta was always so crowded," Sharpay responded in kind and received with an eye-roll from her fraternal twin.

"Anyway, I did not come here to reminisce on our wonderful times inside mother; let's talk about Troy."

"Well I _don't_ want to talk about Troy."

"Ryan?" Sharpay pleaded, "Come on, talk to me."

"No," Ryan said definitively.

"Look, just tell me why you dumped Troy Bolton, because for the life of me, I cannot fathom why any sane person would do that." Sharpay was really searching her brother for a response now.

"Sharpay…" Ryan began.

"Was he a bad kisser, or isn't he that big?" Sharpay offered, trying to understand her brother's actions.

Ryan gave her a look that told her he could not understand what she was getting at.

"You know, down there?" Sharpay completed while trying to discreetly indicate just where "there" was.

"What? No, Sharpay."

"Then tell me." She was practically begging now. Well, as close as Sharpay Evans ever got to begging.

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine," Sharpay conceded, "We won't talk about Troy Bolton. How about we talk about how you turned gay, because I did not know anything about this until this weekend. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other." Sharpay finished with an expectant look, and a slightly aggressive stance.

"Shar, I'm not gay."

"Really?" Sharpay questioned skeptically, "Because this whole weekend would seem to indicate…"

"Sharpay," Ryan cut in, "I'm not gay, and I never will be." He used all the body language he knew to communicate that their conversation was over, but Sharpay always had to have the final word.

"Never say 'never', Ry," and with that, Sharpay turned heel and walked away from her brother.

**------------XxXxX------------**

Gabriella found Troy slumped against one of the many walls East High possessed. The wall Troy seemed to have chosen to support his frame was decorated by posters advertising the upcoming Spring Musicale.

"Troy, what's wrong?" Gabriella inquired as she approached.

"Huh?" Troy had barely registered the presence of other people, let alone the fact that he was being talked to by one of these 'other people'.

"You look like how I felt yesterday," Gabriella observed, noticing his beaten expression.

Troy gave no indication that he had heard somebody speak, but continued to stare vacantly at nothing, looking extremely crestfallen.

"You know, after you broke up with me," offered the brunette.

Troy finally clued into the conversation and spoke up, "oh, yeah, sorry about that."

Gabriella could see Troy was in a bad state and chose to be the selfless person her mother raised her to be. "I know you are Troy, and I'm coping, but what is wrong with you."

"Ryan broke up with me," Troy simply responded.

"You two were dating? Since when…?" Gabriella's surprise showed.

"Saturday," Troy continued with his simple answers, not being bothered to elaborate.

"But we only broke up yesterday…"

Troy knew that a simple answer here would not be fair to Gabriella. He owed her a lot more than 'I forgot'.

"Yeah, I know, and I am so sorry about that. We were just caught up in the moment, and I had forgotten I was with you," he reasoned.

"Oh," Gabriella now mirrored the crestfallen expression Troy had donned since that morning.

"Gabi…" Troy tried.

"No I get it Troy," Gabriella cut in, "When you are with that one person, the entire world just seems to melt away." She was talking about Troy, but Troy was clearly thinking about someone other than her.

"Yeah…" Troy let out, reminiscing on the past Saturday.

There was a pregnant pause between them. On several occasions, both tried to start a sentence but never got passed opening their mouth. Gabriella finally stepped up to the plate and spoke.

"Troy, I spent most of yesterday thinking and I am willing for us to stay friends and all, and support you with whatever." She really did mean it.

"Thanks Gabs."

"I can tell you really love Ryan, so I am not going to try and win you back. Instead, I will tell you what my plan was and maybe you can use it to get Ryan back."

Troy was still processing the thought that Gabriella was going to try and win him back when he heard the rest of his statement. Knowing that Gabriella was a smart girl, he knew that her plan would have definitely worked, so he leaned in for this generous piece of advice.

"Just take him back. Don't _try_ to take him back, just _take_ him back," she offered simply.

"That was your plan?" Troy was surprised by the plan's simplicity and now doubted the brunette's prowess.

"Well, the simplest plans are usually the most effective," Gabriella shrugged.

"I guess I'll give it a try, thanks."

"No, don't try, just do."

With that, Gabriella begins to walk off, thinking to herself that she has done her good deed for the day. Accepting that Troy is no longer with her was one of the hardest things she ever had to do, but now she felt that all the weight that had been piled on to her, being the brainy new girl who won the eye of the school's head jock, was lifted off of her. She was a new person, who had a fresh start once again.

"Hey Gabriella," Troy stopped her, suddenly remembering something he was meaning to as her before, "why were you gonna break up with me?"

Gabriella turned around, "Pardon?"

"Yesterday, you said you were gonna break up with me when I broke up with you. Why?" the boy clarified.

Gabriella paused for a moment, as if trying to recall the apparently already forgotten incident.

"I wasn't actually gonna break up with you," she replied.

Troy just stood there with a bewildered look. He was genuinely confused by her response.

"I just made that up to give you a reason as to why I was laughing," Gabriella continued.

"Well, then why were you laughing?"

"I was trying to lessen the blow for myself," Gabriella shrugged.

"Oh," realization suddenly dawned on Troy, freezing his epiphany expression, leaving him with his mouth agape.

Gabriella found this expression amusing and giggled slightly before turning to leave.

"See you later, Troy."

**------------XxXxX------------**

Kelsi found Ryan banging his head against the back wall of his locker.

"You know, most kids stopped fitting in their lockers after freshman year, so you should really stop trying," Kelsi joked.

Ryan pulled his head out of his locker and gave her a bemused look.

"Mind you, I can still fit in my locker and I'm already a senior," Kelsi continued.

Ryan found that funny and allowed himself a chuckle. A little happiness in an otherwise unhappy day was a welcome relief.

"So why are you trying to go through the back wall of your locker?"

"I can't remember what class I have first."

"That's easy, Homeroom"

"I meant after that."

"Well you have drama with me"

"Oh yeah, that's right."

"See, easy."

"Thanks Kelsi."

"You're welcome. Now what is this really about?"

Ryan gave no reply; he just placed his head back into his locker. Having been reminded of his schedule, he could now continue his original task.

"Is this about you and Troy?"

"…"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about eavesdropping. Your sister made me do it."

Ryan chuckled, "Yeah, she can be like that sometimes." He buried his head in his locker once again, mindful of the fact that he had not actually answered her question.

"So…" Kelsi began expectantly.

"So…" Ryan countered, not really wanting to elaborate on anything.

"Look Ryan, I am not going to pry. I know this is a very personal subject, and I respect that, but as your friend, I can see that this issue is really getting to you."

Ryan conceded to the conversation. He pulled his head out of his locker and kept it out. Leaning on the door of the adjacent locker, while leaving his open, he looked at Kelsi.

"You want my advice?" she asked.

Ryan did not _say_ yes but his face kind of screamed it.

"Listen to this song," Kelsi handed Ryan a burned CD with the words 'Worth a Try' written on the top with black permanent marker, "It's the song Sharpay was complaining about yesterday."

Ryan recalled the incident the evening before. It was what Sharpay was ranting about, just before he noticed Troy at the door.

"She probably would have shut up if I had told her that it was actually Troy who wrote it," she mused.

"What?" Ryan was surprised by this revelation, "Troy wrote a song?"

"Yes he did, over the summer, while he was working at Lava Springs," Kelsi informed the blond.

"I didn't even know he could play an instrument," Ryan admitted.

"He plays the guitar," Kelsi affirmed.

Ryan rummaged through his locker and located the Discman he kept in there. He placed the disc into the apparatus, put one ear bud into his left ear, and hit play.

Ryan heard the music start to play in his ear. It had a simple melody, but sounded beautiful nonetheless.

"I helped add the piano accompaniment. I have no clue how Sharpay did not recognize Troy's voice," Kelsi quipped.

Ryan put a finger to his lips, hushing the pianist as the lyrics began. It was unmistakably Troy, and Ryan hung onto every word.

_"Everything I'll ever need, I found in you. __When you're standing next to me, I know it's true__."_

Ryan placed the other bud into his right ear, wanting to hear the song completely.

_"__Together you and I__, we'll soar up to the sky…"_

The music intensified for the chorus. Ryan unintentionally held his breath.

_"__Now that I've found you__, I know how it feels to fly. __I don't feel afraid__, s__omething tells me deep inside. __You and I was worth a try__. "_

Ryan could hear why Kelsi wanted him to listen to this song. It was a beautiful song. Ryan continued listening to the song as Kelsi smiled, knowing her point had gotten across.

The warning bell rang, and the movement around Ryan increased but he remained rooted to the spot. Kelsi turned and walked toward Homeroom but waited at the door for Ryan. Ryan's locker was conveniently quite close to their Homeroom.

_"… __We'll face the world as one__, a__nd we'll show everyone__…"_

Troy walked passed on his way to Homeroom. Ryan noticed him and decided that it was time he should be heading off too. He put the song on repeat and continued to listen to it as he made his way over to Kelsi. The song had definitely opened up his mind, but was being with Troy really worth a try?

_"… You and I was worth a try."_

**------------XxXxX------------**

Troy was already sitting in his usual seat at the front of the classroom when Kelsi and Ryan walked in. It was not that he was one of those teacher's pets, who love to sit at the front. If it were up to him, he would be somewhere at the back with Jason, but it was his permanent seat in Darbus' room and he had the unfortunate luck of having her again for Homeroom senior year.

Ryan crossed the room to his desk on the far side, away from the door, behind his sister. She looked at him expectantly as he passed her on his way to his desk but he did not offer up any explanation. As he sat down, he looked over to Troy, who just stared right back at him. Troy did not even attempt to avert his gaze when he realized his staring was noticed. Ryan was so engrossed with Troy's behavior that he did not notice Ms. Darbus trying to catch his attention.

"Mr. Evans!"

Ryan was naturally startled by the exclamation of his surname, and snapped forward, to pay attention to Ms. Darbus.

"As I was trying to tell you, could you please remove those things from your ears?" asked the teacher, referring to the earphones Ryan was still wearing.

Ryan was quite embarrassed and slowly took the buds out of his ears and stowed away the Discman into his messenger bag.

Ms. Darbus continued with the talk she was giving before having to stop to get Ryan's attention. "As I was saying, the Lockdown Protocol has been set up as a safety procedure, bringing the schools OHS codes up to standard. The locking doors were donated to the school to be included in the new protocol. In case of special circumstances in which the normal Fire protocol should not be used, the Lockdown Protocol will be enacted. This will mean that you must stay in the room you are in and remain calm. The doors will automatically lock…"

Ryan did not hear the rest of the announcement, having blocked Ms. Darbus' voice. He already knew the things she was trying to explain. The entire school had been explained this new procedure numerous times in the past few weeks. Everybody had been anticipating a Lockdown drill to happen soon, especially now that the doors had been installed properly.

"Mr. Evans! Are you not paying attention again?"

Ryan looked up and gave a non-committal, "Huh?" to which the class laughed.

Ms. Darbus gave an exasperated sigh and resigned to her chair behind the teacher's desk. She began to look around in search of something then came to the realization that her quandary was not with her.

"It seems I have forgotten my…" she said to no one in particular, trailing off as she looked around the class for someone to run her errand.

"Ryan," she spotted, "Since you haven't been paying good attention today, could you go to D17 and get the box of books in there."

Ryan stood up to do this task that was set of him, but when he reached the door, he was stopped.

"Wait; let me get someone to help you." She scanned the room for any other troublemakers she felt deserving of this errand but conceded to ask, "Any volunteers?"

Troy quickly stood up in his seat, but then looked like he was regretting his rash motion.

"Ah! Troy, yes, you go help Ryan."

"What? Do I have to go with _him_? Can't I just do this on my own?" Ryan complained.

Troy was slightly hurt that Ryan was doing this. He at least thought they could remain friends or something.

"No, the box is heavy, you need somebody to help you," Ms. Darbus replied.

"Can't Chad come instead?"

"What, no!" exclaimed Chad, cringing at the very thought of manual labor.

"Troy is going and that is that. You're being very difficult today Ryan," said Ms. Darbus.

Ryan gave up and stalked out the door with Troy moving silently in tow.

They made their way to the room quickly and quietly, neither one turning to talk to the other. Troy did not even notice any of his friends waving at him through open homeroom doors.

When they got into the room, they easily located the box they had come for and went to lift it. Ms. Darbus was right in that it required them both, especially to take it all the way back to her room. As they were lifting, the alarm went off.

Ryan was startled and immediately dropped the box, which landed on Troy's foot. Troy gave out a pained howl as Ryan ran to the door, but it shut in his face. He attempted the knob but was met with resistance. He was locked in the room again, with the same person as before.

Keeping his body facing the door, Ryan called back to Troy over his shoulder. "You don't happen to remember that master code thing... do you?" he asked before turning to face Troy.

Troy released his injured foot and just stared at Ryan.

"Troy…" Ryan started.

Troy moved towards Ryan, maneuvering around the box and only lightly stepping on his injured foot, giving his stride a sort of limp.

"Let's talk…" the blond began.

Troy was right in front of him. He did not respond but merely leaned in and gave Ryan a kiss.

Ryan was caught off guard, stunned by the unexpectedness of the kiss, and the longing familiarity bubbling in his stomach. He responded to the kiss, kissing the brunet back. He had lost all inhibitions. He no longer cared about anything in the world other than Troy.

Troy felt the entire world fall away. He did not attempt to deepen the kiss. He did not need to. It was perfect just the way it was.

The 'all clear' alarm sounded and the door swung open, but was ignored. As was Ryan's phone, which began to ring from his pocket.

_"This life is way too short to get caught up in all this stuff, when I just want you to love me back__…__"_

The phone stopped ringing. The two boys slowly pulled apart and just looked at each other.

"I want to be secret boyfriends again," Ryan said leaning his head on Troy's chest.

"I don't," Troy replied.

Ryan suddenly pulled away, "You don't?"

"I want to be your boyfriend, I just don't want it to be a secret," explained Troy.

"Oh," Ryan said, leaning against Troy once again, letting the brunet wrap his arms around his figure, "okay."

"Okay."

**------------XxXxX------------**

**T****HE END**

**------------XxXxX------------ **

* * *

Sorry if the ending was crap. 

With most films, after the climactic ending, there is a sort of **epilogue**, set a little into the future, showing the surviving characters to be happy and enjoying life in some light and fluffy scene, as well as having some sort of lead in for a potential sequel. This story is not over yet so expect the epilogue in the very near future and the **sequel **soon.

For those who do not like sequels, or that cheesy part at the end of the movie, I guess you can stop here… if you want.

* * *

_Shout outs… you all know I love all of you for reading this… and putting up with this huge gap between updates… but __some people get special mention…_

_To all my __**reviewers**__ Sorry for not mentioning you all. There are just so many of you. I promise to put you all in the __AN of__ the epilogue… so look out for that. If you want a mention, this is your last chance to review...  
_

_**Jacob**__… thanks so much for reviewing… and writing a Tryan too…_

_**Old Fiat**__… who dedicated a story to me a while ago… thank you… you also said you did__ no__t get a mention __before __so you get a special one now…_

_**Tryanforever91**__…who still going strong… a lot better than me… I remember writing chapter 9 as you were ending __Sing __w__ith Me__ and now I'm just getting chapt__er 11 out and you already have__ almost finished__ It's Not You Anymore__…__ I hope you do__ n__o__t mind me using your original song…_

_**BitterGrin**__… your story was great, I canno__t wait till you come back with more…_

_**Spectator101**__… __you have __updated since my last one several times and even ended a story… thank you so much…_

_**Joel-Garay**__… who I did not know mentioned me in his story… because I had__ no__t read it till now… thank you so much…_

_**Xbabycakessxox**__… I want to__ mention her because she is quite new to Tryan and her stories are __nice__ and promising… __kind of__ like what Tryanf__orever91 was like when he was still Zeldaforever91__… so read her stories and get her to continue them…_

_**Cryaesion**__… happy birthday!!__ For next week… yeah…_

_Next update will be soon. I have gotten back in the groove._

**_---XxXxX--- _**


	12. Three Months Later

_This is the last update for this story. The last chapter wrapped things up well enough. This just gives you a little more about what happened after, as well as a lead in for the sequel._

_It is kind of short, I guess because light and fluffy is definitely not my thing._

* * *

**Lockdown by Tertiary Genesis**

Epilogue: **Three Months Later**

**--XxXxX--**

_**Three Months Later…**_

**--XxXxX--**

"Troy, can you teach me how to play guitar?" Ryan leaped into Troy's lap, as the brunet was reaching for the guitar whilst sitting down.

Music class – practical, was always a much laid-back subject. Most students took it as an easy subject, so that they could relax during the week. There was little structure and the teacher was mainly at the piano, tutoring some kid. Everyone else would usually just grab an instrument and play, or not.

It was about two weeks into December, and everyone was feeling happy, knowing that the Christmas break was just around the corner. Troy and Ryan had another reason to celebrate; it was their three-month anniversary.

"Do I have to teach you the guitar?" Troy asked breathlessly while he tried to recover from the sudden weight of Ryan sitting on his lap. It was not that he did not want to teach Ryan, he was just teasing the guy, pretending to be reluctant, though that intention was lost as he shifted uncomfortably under Ryan.

"Hey, I went all out on our two-month anniversary after letting you run our first, so it's now you're turn to do stuff for me," Ryan contested, pouting cutely though Troy could not see this as he was behind the blond. Ryan seemed to do it more for theatrical effect. Everything required theatrics when it came to the Evans'.

"Fine, I'll teach you how to play guitar," Troy conceded, picking up the guitar set on the stand with one hand and placing it on Ryan's lap, which was conveniently somewhere on top of his own.

The brunet wrapped his hands around the blond's, helping his boyfriend form the right shapes with his hands.

Ryan leant back against Troy's chest, allowing the larger boy to continue manipulating his fingers on the fret board as he relaxed a little. He could feel Troy's toned torso on his back. Troy had always made him feel secure.

Ryan was leaning on him again. Troy was used to this by now. He did not mind it at all. It felt nice having him there. Troy was a cuddler and Ryan loved to be cuddled. Troy leaned into Ryan, burying his face in the back of the blond's hair. Ryan smelled like a beautiful Fall morning, when the sun is on the horizon and some mist is lingering in the distance over yellowing leaves.

Troy was reminded of one of their first dates. The smell of Ryan pulled Troy a few months into the past and he was overcome with the images of his favorite season.

--

_They were strolling through Lionsgate Park holding the paper cups filled with coffee they had just bought from the local Starbucks. It was seven in the morning, and one of them had pointed out an empty bench a few feet away. The two boys raced to the seat, dry leaves crunching under their shoes. They sat and discussed anything they could think of._

"_I don't know about you but I would have to say that Solitaire is way better than FreeCell."_

"_That's because you can't even play FreeCell."_

"_I so can."_

"_Without hitting Ctrl+M?"_

"_I think you are thinking of Spider Solitaire."_

"_Oh yeah! But the best card game would have to be Go Fish."_

"_Definitely!"_

--

Troy immersed himself in Ryan's smell, happily dipping into the memory of that day they had together. He placed light kisses on the back of Ryan's neck, eliciting a contented sigh from the blond.

Chad had been watching the interaction between the two boys since Ryan had bounded onto his boyfriend's lap. He was quite happy for the two since Troy was, after all, his best friend; he just wanted to see him happy, though sometimes, they were too happy, and too public.

"Get a room, you two!" Chad teased, as he tried to learn a new blues bass line.

"Aww, you're just jealous because I have a boyfriend and you don't," goaded Ryan. He was feeling quite playful that day, and Troy's feathery kisses on the back of his neck seemed to serve as some sort of serotonin.

"What?! I don't want a boyfriend?!" Chad retorted, hands raised in defense, as he tried to plead innocence.

"Relax, Chad, he is just trying provoke you," Troy reassured his shaggy-haired friend as he tried to show Ryan a G chord.

"You should keep your boy under control, Troy," Chad responded.

Ryan poked his tongue out to Chad. He turns into such a kid when he is with Troy.

Chad displayed an expression of disbelief. "Did you see what he just did to me, Troy?"

"Chad, I'm not going to play the parent here. Besides, Ryan would never do anything mean, would you?" Troy and Ryan turned to each other, smiled and shared a quick kiss before returning to the guitar lesson.

Ryan's guitar tutelage continued in this fashion a while longer, the two boys coupling it up and looking very cute while a somewhat peeved Chad continued with his bass lines.

After Ryan managed to play a simple song in its totality, Troy called for a break.

"Hey Ry, I gotta go, nature calls, you know?" Troy informed the boy so that he could get up and request a hall pass from the teacher.

"Yeah, okay babe," Ryan said as he stood to allow Troy to leave, then sat back down in Troy's seat and continued to practice the song Troy had just taught him.

Troy managed to procure a hall pass and left the music room. Once he was gone, Ryan began practicing a much more advanced song with much proficiency, much to Chad's disbelief.

"You were just playing him, weren't you?" accused Chad.

"I have no clue what you are talking about," Ryan retorted as he continued with his practice.

"I'm talking about how you were totally playing Troy," Chad explained.

"No I wasn't. I was playing the guitar," Ryan stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Chad gave an annoyed groan and chose to just ignore the blond boy dating his best friend. Ryan smirked at this reaction.

RIIIING!! RIIIING!! RIIIING!! RIIIING!!

The Lockdown Protocol was being enacted again. Everyone assumed it was just another drill but Ryan felt that something was wrong. He saw the music door swing shut and lock. He remained seated and hoped Troy was back soon.

**--XxXxX--**

Troy was walking down the Drama corridor, on his way back from the amenities. Another Lockdown drill was happening so he decided to slow his pace, so he would not have to wait as long outside the music room. The PA system was still crackling as they were yet to be repaired. He heard movement behind him, turned, and was met with a familiar face.

"Hey man, what's with the ba-…"

_TO BE CONTINUED…_

**--XxXxX--**

* * *

_That is all for Lockdown. This chapter kind of serves as a prologue to the sequel as well. The first chapter of the sequel should be up soon. I do not want to leave you all with this kind of cliffhanger for a long time. It should be out soon. It is currently called __Stagnant Chaos__, which was thought up by __**Cryaesion**__ who also beta'd my plot. He says the sequel sounds good. It will probably be a lot longer than Lockdown. _

_Here is a little more extra information about the sequel. We get to meet Ryan's parents and see that side of things. I have not seen many stories concerning Ryan coming out to his parents or at least go into any depth in terms of Ryan's parent's reaction to him. Troy's parents are also explored. They may not actually be as accepting as they say. Ryan continues to question his sexuality. Troy examines his feelings. Two original character of my own design will be introduced, and questions are asked. What would have happened if they did not get locked in the room?_

* * *

_I get the feeling people stopped reading my story which is kind of depressing. I hope you guys are still reading my work. I guess the drop in hits and reviews was probably the cause for my blocks and hiatus. Try to keep them up. They do keep me writing._

_Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and adding to your alerts and favorites my story and me. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Whilst here on fanfic, in the six months since I started writing this fic, I have made some friends. They were a few fellow writers and readers. _

_**Cryaesion**__: Love you man. You have been the best. You gave awesome tips and advice, and have just been a great guy. I am glad to have met you._

_**Tryanforever91**__: You have been one of my biggest fans, as I have been yours. We kind of grew in our writing concurrently, starting at near the same time but you has written so much more than I have. I love your work. Always great, and becoming greater._

_**Old Fiat**__: You have been great. You dedicated a story to me, which was amazing, so thank you so much. _

_**BitterGrin**__: I hope you are still reading my story. I absolutely loved yours and my fiction of your fiction is still in the making. I hope I do your story justice._

_**jacob**__: You have been awesome with your tips and all. I have been going back and editing through my initial chapters, but I did not fix up to much. I did take on what you said; I just wanted to preserve my growth as a writer. I appreciate all that you did for me, and are glad it got you into Tryan. _

_**JustAnAmateur**__: You took the time to review EVERY chapter which was awesome. I am glad you liked the story. _

_**iHeArTfAnFiCs**__: You have been a regular reviewer since near the beginning and I am so glad you have stuck with me all this time. Thank you so much._

_**Spectator101**__: I love your stories as well. I am sorry I have not read your two latest stories. I have been meaning to get around to it. I will soon. I have just been so caught up._

_To all other reviewers who are also writers whom I have read, I review every chapter I read. You all know I appreciate you. These Author-Reviewers include: __**BeBDanceSTX**__**, LxLthr**__**, born-to-be-a-shocker**__**, xXxHSMLUVRxXx, **__**Peppermint Smile, **__**Jacquese**__ and __**Charlz.**_

_To all my other reviewers, if you have Tryans or anything you want me to read, tell me about them. I like reading. Would not it be great to be appreciated by an author you appreciate? We help each other out here. Thank you to all my reviewers._

_**Broken-SilverWings,**_ _**Quinny1317, Xbabycakessxox, lm2k6, HSMTroypay07, blazingfire03, scorpion-2-ur-poison, OldSkoolMarySue, Stroppy-Teenager, Chuckness, monkie16, 55Valencia55, fieryflame, Promise-V, Witty-Kate, wchsgirl2121, MyCrimsonDawn, xBlackashesx, loosedefense, Miss DnG, Rocki, Courty-Court, KittyBlue, MaCaFrOmAuS, colormelove, **__and__** Anna.**_

_I hope you all did stick with me to the end and not just drop out somewhere. See you guys soon._


	13. Upcoming

Hey guys...

Stagnant Chaos is taking me a little longer to get off the ground and I apologise.

I have been writing and re-writing the first chapter, which I want to be a good hook for all you fans of my story.

It goes in a somewhat different direction to Lockdown, and I hope you don't all hate me for the angst and not-together-ness that I put the boys through.

As you can see from my Epilogue, fluff and cuteness and what not is not my strong point.

You should all read tryanforever91's version of my epilogue. It is a lot better than mine, in my opinion.

It has aspects that greatly enhance the story with some unintentional foreshadowing created by TF91 as well.

I had originally had a challenge here to re-write my epilogue, but with Stagnant Chaos soon to be released, I guess it should just be left at this. To all other's who have been writing for the challenge, continue to do so, and still send them to me, or link me to them. I would love to read them and I am sure everyone else would too.

Stagnant Chaos will be coming out soon.


End file.
